Reunions
by tea-induced scribbles
Summary: Set in 2X13 and onwards. A little AU but also a bit of fun. Senior Chief Wolf Taylor finds a familiar face in the crowd and can't believe what he is seeing. It follows on from there and will feature slow burn Miller/OC, Tex, Kara, Wolf and many characters.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: This is completely unrelated to my current AU stories. It has been rolling around in my head since I've been reading the works of tmtcltb and Scousedancer. It's just a short fic for now but I could be convinced to take it further...**_

 _ **It takes place in 2x13 when they are spreading the contagious cure in St Louis. So enjoy and know that I own nothing but the OC's personality. ;-D**_

* * *

Chapter 1

* * *

Senior Chief Wolf Taylor smiled as he hugged the 80 year old woman before him. He tried to ignore the fact that she was grabbing his ass and reminded himself that they were spreading a cure. That and the old woman was short so it was probably just a mistake she grabbed his ass as he was a tall guy.

"Thank you for your service." The old woman told him with a soft smile.

"It's my pleasure Ma'am." He told her with a warm smile. He watched her walk away and took a breather from all the hugging and sharing water to look around him. Today was a day they could all be proud of.

They had a cure that could easily be distributed, the Americans were on their side again and the crew was finally being acknowledged for their hard work and sac. It felt amazing, so much so he wished Ravit had survived. She would have loved today, it would have made her believe in good side of humanity again.

All around him people were smiling and embracing. The crew were all around enjoying sun and smiles. He looked to Miller and smiled as the man was getting all the good action. Here he was getting groped by the geriatrics while he scored himself the younger crowd. So far Miller had been kissed by at least two very good looking women and probably hugged more girls in the past 3 hours than he had his whole life.

But right now, Miller was holding the hand of a woman with long and loose brown almost black hair that wore boyfriend jeans with what looked to be a lightweight mocha brown jumper and tan scarf. Wolf couldn't see her face but he could tell she was another beauty just by the blush gracing Miller's face and the goofy smile he was wearing.

He had to admit that Miller was putting him to shame as he was definitely getting all the beautiful women. It didn't seem fair but Wolf knew later on in his dress uniform would balance the scales especially given by then the geriatrics would be in bed.

He chuckled to himself for being a little jealous of the man when the woman turned her head to look at him. He froze and the humour he felt fled him as shock and fear that he was possibly dream smacked into him like a bus.

 _It couldn't be her?_ he thought as he drank in the sight of her. Her dark brown almost black hair was longer than he remembered. But there was no mistaking it was her. Those same hazel eyes and smile. The woman Miller was flirting with was his little sister Larrin.

"Larrin?" He asked, he knew she couldn't hear him but she saw him and had let go of Miller's hand and pushed through the crowds towards him.

"Wolf? Oh my god!" Larrin said as Wolf pulled her into a tight hug. Tears ran down her face as she couldn't believe he was alive let alone here with her. He pulled back from her and grasped her face with his hands looking her over.

Her clothes look ragged and dirty but otherwise she looked healthy. He had to bite his tongue about her choice of footwear as he remembered her commenting about never being seen alive in birkenstock sandals. But here she was alive and well. He'd make fun of her later.

"You're alive" He said, relief washed over him but then it dawned on him that she was supposed to be in Australia. "What the hell are you doing here?!" He asked her incredulously. He was a little disgusted at checking his own sister out by accident just a few moment's ago was over-rided by the relief and joy at seeing her alive.

"I heard there was a cure." She said as she punched him in the chest playfully. She was trying to get a grip of herself as it was so good to see him. She pushed out his hold and wiped her eyes with her hand.

"No, I mean here in St Louis. You're supposed to be back home in Australia." He told her, drinking in the sight of her as he thought he would never see any of his family ever again.

"I took a left at albuquerque?" She offered jokingly with an awkward smile. She ran a hand through her hair shaking it out. It was something she did whenever she was trying to cover her ass for doing something wrong.

"No, when I left Australia you were neck deep in work finishing your PhD." He corrected as he was trying to connect the dots in head.

"Mmmm yeah about that" she drawled awkwardly she pulled on the strap of her cross body saddle bag. "I got kicked out of my program about 2 days after you left for your training exercises. I got a stimulus package from the government and my taxes came back. So I figured, I got nothing on so I jumped on a plane to come and surprise you. Then the pandemic happened and I – well you know stuff happened and I heard there was a contagious cure. So here I am." Larrin explained with a shrug.

"Surprise?" she added in a light and careful manner as she waited for him to blow a gasket. He was the one who pushed her to get an education, sure she had a scholarship but he had helped support her with sending money home and with his letters of encouragement.

She knew the world had literally ended but she hated the shame she felt at what happened in Australia and her cowardice for running away. For some reason she wanted Wolf to know she hadn't dipped into her savings or the money he had sent home. But seeing him after all the months of surviving by herself was amazing and a relief.

"I don't care about the money and to be honest I'm not sure where to start. But I have to know have you been able to get through to home?" He asked her. She shook her head looking as pained as he felt.

"No, and none of the Australian Embassies I've been to are open or staffed with living people let alone Australians. Actually you're the only Australian I've encountered in the past 6 months." Larrin told him. Wolf nodded in sorrow as they were left in the dark about the fate of their family.

"It's good to see you." Wolf said trying to make good of the bad in their situation. He felt movement to his left and saw Miller standing there. He had obviously followed Larrin over but kept a safe distance from them. He obviously was misreading the situation as Wolf could see Miller looked a little put out. "Miller, this is my little sister Larrin." Wolf said making the introductions, he hated having to introduce her but he liked Miller.

"We've met. He cured or vaccinated me." Larrin said with a smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she looked to Miller who looked stunned at the turn of events. He obviously thought that Larrin was not his sister. Wolf frowned as he remembered Miller took well over the designated time Dr Scott recommended to spread the cure to individuals.

"He's your brother?" Miller stuttered in surprise, his eyes wide and he was finally seeing the family resemblance between them.

"Yeah. My big annoying brother." Larrin answered. Wolf looked between the two distinctly not liking what he was seeing as he could see the two were clearly interested in one another as they were just a little too friendly. It was like watching two puppies meet but instead of sniffing each other out they were smiling goofily at one another and blushing. It was just embarrassing but no way was he helping them out.

"Wow, I've heard very little about you but all of it good." Miller said to her, his face lighting up as Wolf knew the man realised was not poaching in Wolf's territory.

"Well, I'm sure we can change that. I mean you did offer to get me some water though a cold beer later would be even better. I'm assuming you'll be free unless you're already taken." Larrin said awkwardly as she felt stupid for asking. Of course the sailors from the Nathan James would have a full social calendar. What chance did a girl like her have?

"No-" Miller cleared his throat and shook his head. "No I'm single- I mean free later. Just got to wait until we're finished here and given the official order for shore leave." Miller told her inwardly kicking himself as he wished he was smooth like Wolf and the other sailors.

But Larrin had him nervous and making an idiot of himself from the get go but it was worth it as she was beautiful. He was just surprised out of the sailors around she had picked him and better yet he had managed to keep her attention. So the idea of sharing a beer with her even if Wolf killed him was totally worth it just to enjoy her smile and company.

"Yeah, well we'll all go out for beers." Taylor said insinuating himself between the two and stressing that he'd be there to chaperone. He looked to Larrin and gave her a smile. "So why don't you go take a walk, find yourself water. Oh-" He pulled the radio from his back pocket and handed it to her. "Here, I'll call you when we're free and we'll find a meeting place. Don't lose it." Wolf told her pointing at the radio.

She gave him a look that was a mix of 'Really? I'm not an idiot' and 'get stuffed, big brother' as she stuffed the radio into her bag.

"Ok, I'll see you both later." Larrin said to them. She turned and threw a smile over her shoulder and walked away, disappearing into the crowd. Wolf would have preferred her to stay in his line of sight but he like the rest of the crew were needed.

"That's your little sister?" Miller asked him in disbelief when Larrin was out of hearing range.

"Yeah, so you're going to keep your pants zipped and respect her." Wolf warned him, he knew it was unnecessary given how innocent and green Miller was when it came to women in general but still he felt the need to protect his sister.

"Of course, Wolfman. She's not how you described dude." Miller said to him. Wolf raised his eyebrows at him as he had spoken about Larrin but in very basic terms and never showed them a picture because he knew the guys would see how beautiful she was and well he knew how the male mind worked.

"What do you mean?" Wolf asked him out of curiosity.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Ok, I decided to continue as I just like how cute this story is in my head that makes me smile while I'm at work. So thank you to everyone who reviewed and look forward to making everyone smile some more. Enjoy._

* * *

Chapter 2

* * *

"Shore leave for 60 days. I know what I'm doing." Cruz said with a dreamy smile as he was going first going to get ridiculously drunk. Maybe find a fine woman to hold before he started the search for his family. He knew his priorities were totally screwed up but the contagious cure was out there and if his family was alive. They'd catch it. "What are you going to be doing Miller?" Cruz asked as they walked down the gangway with their sea bags slung over their shoulders.

"I'm going to hop on a transport to Nebraska and go home. I need to find my Mom or at least what happened to her if. You know." Miller said, he couldn't say the word 'dead' in the same sentence as she was the only family he had in the world.

"I hope you find her alive." Cruz told him.

"Me too." Miller said.

"But for tonight we are going to party right?" Cruz asked him.

"Yeah, we are." Miller said with a smile as he thought of Larrin. Unlike Wolf, he had been caught up in last minute duties before he and many others on the ship had to finish before they were allowed to take leave. But even with the delay he was looking forward to seeing her again.

"And hey maybe you'll find that chick who laid one you." Cruz said.

"Not interested." Miller said giving a shake of his head. Cruz stopped and looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

"What? she was hot." Cruz said.

"Nope, not interested." Miller told him with a smile as he'd take a beer with Larrin over the girl who just randomly kissed him and ran off into the crowd.

"Not interested." Cruz repeated in disbelief.

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

 _Miller waved goodbye to the Mother and son as he'd just finished passing the cure onto them. He couldn't help but think about his mother and whether she was still alive. The ache at not knowing gnawed at him._

 _"Hello?" a melodic voice with an Australian accent said, Miller looked up and froze as possibly the most beautiful woman he'd seen all day stood in front him._

 _She had mesmerising hazel eyes that were mix of grass green and whiskey brown. Long dark brown hair that was almost black that hung in loose waves around her shoulders and down her back. Her skin was slightly tanned and she had the cutest sprinkle of freckles across her face._

 _But it was her smile that caught him the most and made him tongue tied as it just lit up her whole face and made him warm inside like soaking up sunlight on a cold autumn morning._

 _All the while he was drinking her in. She stood with her hands in the back pockets of her jeans as she looked at him with curiosity completely unaware of her appeal._

 _"I'm told all you sailors are spreading a cure?" she asked, Miller blinked at her as he was surprised she was talking to him. She had to by pass at least 10 other navy sailors who were definitely more attractive than him. He knew this from every time he went to a bar with them, he was the average looking guy that made all the other guys look like they walked off a men's health cover._

 _"Ah-" He cleared his throat hated how he sounded like a teenager than a man. "Yeah, yeah we are." Miller said to her, inwardly kicking himself for stuttering and being weird. Lame, bro. You gotta be more like Cruz and Wolf... he inwardly chastised himself as he fully expected her to walk off soon but she remained in place._

 _"So how does this work?" she asked taking a step closer to him, a soft smile playing on her lips. She was possibly the first person he'd talk to who didn't look haunted by the pandemic but then he learned from Wolf that it was easy to pretend one was happy even after the worst. Frankly he wanted to bask in her glow as long as she allowed him._

 _"Hand?" he asked, he held out his in offer just as he practised on the ship when Dr Scott showed them how to transmit the cure. She slid her hand into his. he couldn't help but notice how small her hand looked in his but also how firm her grip was like one of a quietly confident person._

 _"So you just hold my hand?" She asked him with open curiosity._

 _"Well, the Doc says you have to move in closer." Miller told her as he clasped his other hand over hers. He wanted to tug her closer but held off as he didn't want to make her uncomfortable._

 _"This close?" she asked him as she stepped towards him until they were nearly toe to toe. He couldn't help but notice that she was fairly tall. Sure she still had to tilt her face to look up at him but it wasn't like she was breaking her neck to do so. Part of him knew if he was more confident and let go of his own inhibitions as she was close enough to steal a kiss but held back. One; because he was a gentleman and two; she was_

 _"Yeah." He said he swallowed nervously while secretly grateful he had the foresight to brush his teeth so he wouldn't end up doing what he did with Dr Scott._

 _"And we just stand here?" she asked him as she still held onto his hand and looked at him. Her eye contact wavered a bit but he knew she was scanning the crowds for signs of trouble. It made him wonder if she was a soldier but given her posture and her slim frame. He doubted it as most military women he knew were incredibly fit and they had a certain way about their posture and how they held themselves._

 _"Pretty much. Most people hug me and I had one girl kiss me." Miller said, he learned it was best not to mention that he had to breathe on her as some people had found that creepy. She gave a chuckle as a lovely blush graced her cheeks._

 _"Sorry, I'm going to disappoint you but I'm not that forward when I'm sober." She said a smile spread across her lips that brightened her whole face._

 _"This is better." He told her, and it was true. He was really enjoying just talking to her and holding her hand. Sure it felt a little awkward but he liked it. Maybe it was that they would have more time together than a quick kiss would ever allow him._

 _"Really?" She asked her nose scrunched adorably in disbelief._

 _"Yeah, I like to know the gir-er woman before I get intimate with her." Miller said, his mother taught him to treat a woman respectfully and that if he wanted to be respected as a man he had to show patience and kindness. So far his mother's rules of how to get a girlfriend ended up with him in the friend zone or completely rejected just because he didn't look like Lt Green or Wolf Taylor. But he didn't dwell on that as he always felt that his lack of a love life was not the be all and end all of who he was._

 _"A kiss is intimate?" she asked him._

 _"I believe so Ma'am. Yes." he said, he felt his cheeks redden as he knew it made him sound old fashioned. Most guys would jump at the chance of a random kiss or one night stand but it wasn't something Miller enjoyed. "So, have you been in St Louis long?" Miller asked her changing the topic._

 _"Only a day, I heard the radio call and was closer to here than the other ports." She answered all the while Miller couldn't stop staring at her. She frowned at him. "What? do I have something on my face or in my teeth?" she asked him._

 _"No, just your accent. You're Australian right?" He asked lamely at it was completely obvious she was Australian but it was better than admitting he was completely transfixed by her._

 _"Yeah, I know. I tried speaking with an American accent but I can't get used to saying hard R's." she told him with a shrug._

 _"Why would you want to speak like an American? Your accent is way cooler." Miller assured her._

 _"People kind of don't like foreigners here when there's a pandemic but with a cure that will change. But I have to say that contagious cure is rather ingenious. Though does it take this long for transmission?" she asked him._

 _"Not sure, am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked her._

 _"No, I'm good." She assured him with warm closed lip smile. "Though it wouldn't hurt if I knew your name." she added._

 _"Seaman Eric Miller but everyone just calls me Miller." He told her._

 _"I'm Larrin, it's nice to meet you." She told him._

* * *

Miller smiled at the memory as they had talked about some of the most random things after that and he'd enjoyed it. The awkwardness of trying to be cool had faded and his instant crush on her just increased exponentially. But that was be expected given she was way out of his league and while she hadn't blatantly flirted with him but he didn't exactly feel like she was pigeon-holing him as a 'friend'. Yet. The sense of potential was a little exhilarating and a bit of an ego boost even if she was Wolf's sister.

The weird part was that he knew he should be scared of that as Wolf could give him a slow and painful death for just looking at his sister sideways. Part of him felt like assuring Wolf that once Larrin got an eyeful of all the other sailors from the ship she'd drop him like a hot potato but he decided to be an optimist about the situation and just remember it was a beer with Larrin and Wolf which in itself would be a good time as he learn a lot about the Taylor family and have a laugh as he knew people who had siblings had great stories to share.

"You know for someone who isn't interested you're looking pretty happy." Cruz told him, snapping Miller out of thoughts.

"I'm just happy we're finally home and able to find our families." Miller told him, he knew it bad but he was purposefully not telling anyone about Larrin as he selfishly wanted to keep her to himself a little longer.

"I know, just an inauguration ball to get through then we can get into our civvies and get good and drunk." Cruz told him.

"Yeah, sound good." Miller lied as he liked the idea of a few quiet drinks and a long night's sleep on a plush hotel bed a whole lot better than watching Cruz chase women.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

* * *

"So tell me what happened with the PhD." Wolf said as he pushed a beer towards Larrin. They sat in the plush bar in one of the hotels the Nathan James crew were staying for the next week as thanks from the city of St Louis.

"What's the point?" She asked him with a sigh. She just wanted to celebrate their reunion and surviving but only Wolf would bring up the past like it was still relevant for the future. She also couldn't help but feel a little down that Miller wasn't here but Wolf assured her he would show up eventually.

"Because it made you run away from home." Wolf said with obvious concern for her. He'd always told Larrin to live a little more and travel to experience life a bit more but she had been dedicated to her life goals. So for her to cut and run was like her version of a midlife crisis.

"I needed a holiday. You told me I work too hard." Larrin said evasively.

"You've had a ten year plan since you were 8. Why the course deviation?" Wolf asked her, Larrin looked at him and realised he wouldn't give it up.

"Look I was kicked out for conduct unbecoming of a student." Larrin told him.

"I know, but why?" He asked her. Larrin rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair and gave a shrug.

"My supervisor sandbagged me, stole my work and published it under his name taking all the credit." Larrin told him.

"And you ran away?" Wolf asked her as it was how the Taylor family operated.

"No, I fought it and lost because he claimed that he gave me drafts to proofread and my backed up USB drive was inadmissable because I couldn't entirely prove it was mine as I didn't keep my receipt for it. So he won and I got booted from the program. So yeah I ran because I lost all my work and no other university would touch me because he's fucking God. So can you drop it now?" Larrin asked him in a low and hurt voice. She picked up her beer and took a long pull; hating how much her ego stung.

"That's not right." Wolf told her, feeling for her as she had chosen a hard path that was male dominated area of science. But to have her hard work stolen from her like that he could only wish he had been home as he would have punched the asshole.

"Well, it doesn't matter now." Larrin said as she placed her glass of beer back in the bar and looked at it.

"Well, at least you can continue with your studies." Taylor told her, trying to bolster her up.

"I wanted to work in biomolecular engineering. Being a Doctor was just something I needed to do to have more letters after my name and gain experience not a career path." Larrin told him with an exasperated tone.

"You're smart enough to be anything you want. Hell, the world need more scientists. So they'll overlook it." Wolf told her.

"It was my work and he stole it. Anyway why don't you tell me everything?" Larrin said as she was tired of talking about herself and she just wanted to forget the past.

"You know what I've been doing. Navy stuff." Wolf said evasively.

"Cryptic as always." Larrin drawled in a dry tone as Wolf never told her what he was up to but then it was to protect her.

"Nothing to worry your pretty head over." Wolf assured her as he reached over and ruffled her hair making her feel like a kid. She made a face at him as she didn't appreciate the gesture.

"Yeah right, why do you tell all your friends that I'm a dingo?" She asked him changing the topic. She kept her tone amused and casual but she was a little annoyed at him for being an overprotective brother when Miller was around. She liked him, he looked at her like she was perfect and treated her with such respect it made her feel special and worthwhile. Something she hadn't felt in months.

"I've never said you were a dingo. I said you're my little sister who is incredibly intelligent and going places." Wolf informed her. He wasn't going to mention that it was protect her.

"Not so much anymore." Larrin said with an exhausted sigh as her life was pretty much in limbo. Wolf hated how despondent Larrin was and had been about to argue with her but stopped as Captain Tom Chandler walked over to them. He rose from his seat and dropped into a military stance.

"Sir." Wolf said acknowledging him. Larrin looked to the man noting his rank and realised why Wolf was standing to attention.

"At ease, Senior Chief. I heard through the grapevine that you found family." the Captain said as he looked between the two of them.

"Well, it was all luck Sir. Commander Tom Chandler, Captain of the Nathan James. This is my little sister Larrin Taylor." Wolf said making the introductions.

"Nice to meet you Ma'am." The Captain said as he held out his hand to Larrin. She took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

"You too Commander. I have to say it must be a real boon for you to dock here and have such success with the contagious cure. I have to say it's a rather ingenious method of distributing a cure." She said with a smile as she was trying to suss out who was behind the cure that had already saved thousands of lives today. Commander Chandler smiled at her in a patient manner that reminded her of her and Wolf's father.

"Larrin is the brains of my family. 3 degrees. Medical Science and Engineering with a Masters in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering." Wolf said giving the Captain some context as to why Larrin was interested in the cure.

"Impressive for someone so young." The Captain said to Larrin, she gave a self effacing smile.

"I skipped a few grades in high school and did a double degree as an undergrad and a masters. Anyone can study when they have a supportive family, government assistance and enough motivation." Larrin said trying to downplay it. She hated it when Wolf showed her off as some kind of genius child. It made people look at and treat her differently. It had definitely stunted her socially.

"Also a PhD." Wolf said proudly to Captain Chandler.

"Not finished and never will be at this rate." Larrin clarified in annoyed and somewhat sad manner as she had worked hard on it. It was all a part of her life plan. She would have finished her PhD and moved onto getting her medical doctorate so she could legally practice medicine. she just wanted to do her training and be the same age as everyone around her for a change. But that plan was shot to hell now kind of like everything else.

"Well, given you'll be at the inauguration ball tonight I'll introduce you to Dr Rachel Scott." the Captain told her. Larrin frowned as she must of heard him wrong

"Dr Rachel Scott? as in one of the top Paleomicrobiologists in the world; Dr Scott? The woman who practically rewrote everything we know about techniques for hemagglutination-inhibition with arthropod-borne viruses?" Larrin asked her eyes wide in awe. She watched as the Captain and Wolf exchanged odd looks which she got when she went gaga over scientists and their research like a teenage girl went nuts over the latest male actor or singer. Except that Larrin wasn't interested in being Dr Scott's one true love she just wanted to bask in her intellectuality.

"Ah she created the cure." Wolf offered as he didn't understand anything Larrin had just said. He looked to the Captain who wore an amused expression probably because it was rare to see a woman as young as Larrin gush about Dr Scott like she were the Rolling Stones.

"You know what? I'm sure she'd love talking with you as you can truly appreciate her work in a manner that we can't. Now if you'll excuse me, I have another debriefing to get to. It was a pleasure to meet you and I'll see you both later." Tom said to them before he walked away.

"Inauguration ball? Is he serious about introducing me to Dr Scott?" Larrin asked Wolf, she couldn't help but feel a zing of excitement. She took another sip of her beer and felt a little woozy as she hadn't eaten in a couple of days and the acohol was giving her a buzz.

"Yeah and the ball is for the President. he was sworn in this afternoon." Wolf told her. Larrin made a face and shook her head.

"Who cares about that guy. You know I cited her research in my masters and parts of PhD about the application of a nano-"

"Whoa, don't start with the nerd talk. You know it's wasted on me." Wolf said interrupting her. Larrin gave an impatient huff as he was right.

"The point is that I didn't think I'd ever meet her. She's a like a rock star!" Larrin told him so he could understand why the idea of meeting her would be so amazing for her.

"Well, you haven't yet. So calm down." Wolf told her as he pushed her beer towards her again. He was kind of hoping that his Cadbury of a sister would get half way through the beer and call it a night. He could always get her a meet and greet with Dr Scott later but right now he wanted to keep her away from Miller.

Not that he didn't think Miller was a good guy, because he liked the guy but he just didn't want Larrin to get tied down as she was going places. He could see her being at the top of her field one day but he knew if she got into a relationship it would hold her back because she wouldn't want to outshine her partner.

"Taylor, you checked in yet?" Wolf turned to see Lt Green and Foster walk up to them. Both were in their BDU's and carrying their sea bags which meant it was only a matter of time before Miller showed up.

"Yeah, I'm all set. Hey meet my little sister Larrin. This is Lt Danny Green and Lt Kara Foster." Wolf said making the introductions before either of them made the mistake of assuming he and Larrin were a couple.

"Nice to meet you." Larrin said to them as she extended her hand in offer to them.

"You too. Though Taylor didn't tell me much." Danny said as he shook her hand first looking rather perplexed about why Wolf hadn't told him much about his sister. Kara however smiled brightly and took Larrin's hand.

"Speak for yourself, Danny." Kara said before she spoke to Larrin. "Wolf talks about you and your brothers a lot. It's great to finally meet you." she told her her warmly.

"Really?" Green asked Wolf incredulously as he looked a little insulted that Kara knew more about Larrin than he did given they were team mates. Wolf gave a shrug as an answer while Kara stepped up to defend him.

"I don't blame Wolf for being protective. I know how you men talk." Kara said.

"What does Wolf tell the guys on the ship about me?" Larrin asked Danny.

"Little sister, tall, just imagine my face with longer hair and smart." Danny said, Larrin gave Wolf an incredulous look.

"What?" Wolf asked her innocently.

"My little sister is incredibly intelligent and going places is what you said to me. But in reality you made you guy friend's think I looked like you with a 5 o'clock shadow, long hair and nerd glasses in a floral dress. Nice, real nice Bro." Larrin told him as she stood up and punched him in the arm as Wolf chuckled.

"I'll agree with that." Danny said.

"Not helping." Kara said to Danny before she turned her attention to Larrin. She had to admit that she immediately liked the young woman. "So you coming to the ball tonight?" Kara asked her.

"Your Captain extended an invite but I'm wondering how lax the dress code is as this is all I got." Larrin said pulling at her jumper. She knew she would stick out like a sore thumb but it wasn't like she could afford a new dress. The only thing she could do was put on the fold out flats she had in her bag as her spare shoes.

"You know, I have something in my bag you can borrow." Kara told her. Larrin's eyes lit up at the offer.

"You packed a ball dress?!" Danny asked her surprised. Kara rolled her eyes and Larrin wondered if Danny was that dense or just playing it up for a reaction from Kara.

"No, my Mom slipped a dress into my bag at some point before we left for the Arctic. It's not a ball gown but it'll do. She doesn't really understand that being in the Navy isn't remotely anything like a single's cruise to find men." Kara explained wryly as she had ended up with a partner and a baby on the way all without wearing the dress.

"I guess if you don't mind. I'd really appreciate the borrow." Larrin told her in earnest as she couldn't afford a dress let alone know where to find one on such short notice.

"Of course I don't mind, I'm in room 3321. Maybe come up around 5pm? I want to enjoy a long soak before tonight." Kara said looking rather dreamily about the idea of soaking in a hot bath.

"Sure and thank you." Larrin said to her sincerely.

"We're all family on the Nathan James." Kara told her with a warm smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

Miller walked into the hotel bar. The reception was at least 8 people deep as the crew were trying to check in. He knew it was a waste of time to stay in the queue so he headed to the bar to kick up his feet and enjoy a cold beer.

It looked like the right decision to make as he spotted Larrin at the bar nursing a half empty glass of beer. She looked lost in her thoughts, but it didn't put him off as he walked over to her. He leaned his sea bag against the bar. The movement caught her attention and she looked to him.

"Hey, you finally showed up." Larrin said to Miller, a beautiful smile spread across her lips that warmed him from the inside. He really loved her smile and that she seemed to only have eyes for him. It was a real ego boost but it also made him wonder why him? and made him nervous as he was pretty sure he would screw it up somehow.

"Yeah sorry last minute stuff came up." Miller explained to her as he took the empty seat beside her. He didn't know what Wolf would have told her but given she wasn't scowling at him. It was safe to tell that Wolf hadn't sandbagged him yet.

"No worries, I still got half a beer and was about to order a club sandwich and fries as the beer's just going to my head. You want to go halves with me?" Larrin asked him, she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat as she felt nervous. She really wanted their second meeting to go as well as their first. Sure it was awkward but she had enjoyed it.

"Sure, but let me get this." Miller said as he signalled the bartender.

"Ah- ok. I was just going to make Wolf pay for it." Larrin said after Miller ordered the food, water and a beer for himself. She watched him sit down and placed her hands into her lap to stop herself from fidgeting as she was already a little tipsy and didn't want to make an ass of herself.

"Where is Wolf?" Miller asked as he sat down on a stool. The bartender placed the drinks beside them on the bar. Miller moved one of the glasses of water so it was easier for Larrin to grab it as he refused to let her get drunk on his watch.

"The President came over like ten minutes ago and had to talk to him in private." Larrin said with a shrug as she waved over her shoulder. Miller leaned to the side and saw Wolf talking with Michener in the corner which backed up her story.

"Cool." Miller said as he relaxed in his chair and looked to her. Her cheeks were a little fluushed and her eyes just a little glassy but he knew once she ate something and drank some water she'd sober up.

"So-" she started but as the same time he said "Do-"

They both laughed somewhat nervously at the awkward start.

"Sorry," Larrin apologised.

"Don't be, you go first." Miller told her.

"So, you glad to be back on solid ground again?" Larrin asked, she inwardly baulked at her lame question but then she felt a little nervous. It was one thing when they first met to be awkward but now she felt like she had to pull out the stops and she was not exactly an expert at flirting.

"Yeah, it's good to be home." Miller said with a smile of his own.

"But where is home because you don't sound like you're from the south." Larrin said as she picked up the water and took a sip. She wanted to sober up as she tended to say stupid things while drunk and the last thing she needed to blurt out was how she thought he had amazing eyes. They were a beautiful golden brown. _Yep, cause guys just love to hear that.._.Larrin told herself.

"Iowa, originally." Miller said to her.

"Farm country and the future birth place of Captain Kirk." Larrin offered as that's all she knew about the place. Miller laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, there's more to Iowa than that." He assured her.

"I assume as much. So you got family waiting for you?" Larrin asked him.

"My Mom or I hope she's still alive. I haven't been able to get in contact with her since all this began." Miller said looking thoughtful and depressed by it. It made Larrin wish she hadn't mentioned it but she blamed the beer for her next question.

"No brothers or sisters?" She asked.

"Nope. Just my Mom." He told her.

"Lucky, I got four older brothers." Larrin said with a roll of her eyes. Miller's eyes however bugged out of his head at the knowledge.

"Four? Do they all look like Wolf?" He asked. Larrin shook her head and smiled ruefully as she knew from the last guy she dated that having four very physical and dangerous brothers was an unattractive quality.

"Not identical but you know they are fit like him but leaner. They practice Martial arts but they don't lift weights." Larrin explained with a half shrug.

"Can you fight like Wolf?" Miller asked her, Larrin gave nod but looked reticent to tell him. Something he didn't understand as he thought it was pretty awesome.

"Yeah, but I'm not as impressive as Wolf but it's a family thing, our Dad was Navy. So he was all about us kids learning self defence and survival skills." Larrin answered.

"It's a good idea and it looked like it helped cause you're here now." Miller said as he felt like maybe the reason she had survived as long as she had was thanks to the training her father gave her.

"Hmm yeah it's come in handy but I'll be honest I'm not really a confident fighter. My talents lay in more intellectual pursuits." Larrin said carefully testing the waters so to speak as she knew some men didn't like to be outsmarted by their partner.

"Nothing wrong with that." Miller said, the bartender came over to them and placed a plate that was laden with french fries and a club sandwich cut into triangles on the top.

"Ah food!" Larrin said with excitement. She picked up a quarter of the sandwich and took a large bite. Her eyes rolled back into her head in pleasure as it tasted amazing. "Mhmm." she moaned.

"Good?" Miller asked in an amused manner as she looked like she was in heaven. a blush crossed her cheeks as she hadn't meant to be so vocal about her pleasure. She chewed with a closed lip smile nodding emphatically before she swallowed the bite.

"Perfection, this is the first civilised meal I've had since I got out of a Cordon Sanitaire in Colorado." Larrin told him in an off handed manner as she picked up a bottle of ketchup and squirted a sizeable dollop to her side of the plate before she continued eating.

"Cordon Sanitaire?" He asked as he watched her eat. He'd never seen anyone enjoy their food so much but it made him wonder how long she had been without a good meal.

"Quarantine zone. We heard about the virus in Europe but they had been playing off like an outbreak of the new flu strain. You know nothing serious. But when I got to Colorado a couple days later it was a full blown pandemic. Anyway, we should talk about other stuff. By the way what's the time?" Larrin asked not wanting to talk about it as she felt her appetite threatening to leave her.

"1600-Ah 4pm." He said quickly translating for 24hrs clock to a time concept he figured she would recognise. He didn't miss the way she quickly changed the topic but figured it was best to keep things light with her as she looked like she wanted to be distracted.

"I'll have to go in an hour. Will you be at the ball tonight?" Larrin asked him before she dipped a couple French fries into the ketchup. She hoped she wasn't being pushy or coming off as desperate but she liked being around him. She felt grounded and enjoyed how he made her smile non stop which felt amazing after months of misery. It was why she wanted to hold onto him for as long as she could.

"Yeah all the crew will be there." Miller said to her, he was already dreading it as he needed to iron his dress uniform and then there was the fact that Larrin would swarmed by guys from the Nathan James as it was like Fleet week for them.

"Awesome because I have to go get a dress at 5pm. But at least we can pick up later tonight. Assuming you don't mind me hanging with you?" Larrin asked him in a hopeful manner.

"I don't mind at all." Miller assured her.

"Well we still have an hour before then." Larrin said stating the obvious with a coy smile.

"Yeah, we do." Miller agreed with a smile as it meant even when they finished up here he'd see her later tonight. He didn't know why but he liked that she didn't want to end their time together.

"So tell me about your home and yourself. Did you grow up on a farm?" Larrin asked him as she continued to eat.

"No, but we lived in a small town. My mom was the local nurse and midwife." Miller told her.

"Wow, that must have been educational for you." Larrin said as she assumed being the only child of a single parent meant he would have been taken to emergency situations when there wasn't an sitter.

"Well, I learnt I didn't want to be a doctor." Miller said to her, Larrin chuckled and nodded as she picked up another quarter of the sandwich.

"Medicine isn't for everyone." She said in a conversational manner.

"Yeah, but I did want to serve my country and see the world." He offered.

"But you only get to see the miserable war torn parts." Larrin argued.

"Not always, but it's a part of the job." Miller conceded.

"Yeah, I can understand that and you're trying to put some good back into the world." Larrin added for him. Miller nodded and smiled as she understood his job but then it was expected as she grew up as a military brat.

"So what do you do or what were you going to be?" Miller asked her before he picked up some fries and ate them. He wasn't hungry for food but figured he should eat some of it before he made Larrin finish the rest of the sandwich. He could tell by the way she looked at his half of the plate that she was already figuring out when it was a good time to ask if he would eat it or if she could.

"I was going to be scientist and doctor. My field of interest is Biomolecular Engineering. My supervisors said if I got my MD and practised medicine as well as my research on the side then I'd hold more credibility in my field." Larrin explained with a sigh as she hated how irrelevant her life felt and that it still burned that she realised her supervisore would have stolen a lot more than just her PhD in the time she was under his tutelage.

"Why would you need credibility?" Miller asked.

"It's a small and male dominated field in Australia. They already hate me because I'm a girl but I'm also younger than them so it just burned their ego that I have the potential to outshine them. It's politics." Larrin said making a face.

"That blows." Miller told her.

"I know, but it doesn't matter now." Larrin said as she ate the last of her sandwich slice and took a sip of her water. The food was settling nicely in her stomach and evening out the buzz from the beer.

"So what are you going to do now?" Miller asked.

"I have no clue. I'm just sort of living every moment as it comes." Larrin said, she had to bite her tongue as she wanted to confess that she craved to go home, that she wanted stability and to find somewhere safe.

"Well, like my friend Cruz said to me earlier today is a day for celebrating." Miller told her.

"It is." Larrin with a soft smile, as he was right. Today was a good day. She'd gotten back her brother and made new friends who made her feel like she wasn't alone any more.

"So I say we kick it and have some fun tonight." Miller told her.

"Ok." Larrin agreed.

"What's this?" Wolf asked as he joined them. He grasped Miller by the shoulder making his presence known as he looked to Larrin for an answer.

"Miller here was saying we're going to have fun tonight." Larrin said to him. She looked at him waiting for him to react and in big brother style Wolf took her answer to mean that Miller was going to take her back to his room for 'fun'.

She wished he would give her and Miller a break as she wanted to tell him that not every guy wanted in her pants. Frankly Miller had told her a kiss was intimate so that she highly doubted the Miller would ravish her if Wolf turned his back on them.

"Did he now?" Wolf asked looking to Miller.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Welcome to new followers and also Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I love your comments ad they make me smile and I'm excited to say that we finally have all the characters in the Fanfiction selection to choose from! Yay! now my story is properly tagged :-) Anyway Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 5

* * *

"I'm not sure about this. I'm not really a dress person." Larrin said as she smoothed her hands down the skirt of the dress for the one hundredth time in the hopes of making it longer. It was a black Elisabeth and James slinky and sexy jersey mini dress featured side cut outs with long sheer mesh raglan sleeves. Sure she was not showing any cleavage not that she had much going on in that area, her arms were covered and sure it sat a few inches above the knee but it was the fact it hugged every curve that made her feel a little uncomfortable as it was a sexy dress. Her style was more pant suits, jeans and anything that was comfortable and not completely fitted.

"I know, it's a little risqué for a ball. But sometimes you got to make do with what you got." Kara said as she pinned the stray hairs of her bun back in to give it a sleek finish. She was already dressed for dinner she just had to put on her jacket. Though she had to admit she was glad that she didn't have to wear the dress as she could hide in her uniform as the dress was like a open flame calling all the single men like moths. She had a feeling the dress her mother packed was the reason her mother was no longer eligible for a credit card besides her boozy habits not that she'd ever mention it.

"True." Larrin said blowing out a slow breath as she was psyching herself up to actually walk out Kara's hotel room in the dress.

"Look I know, my Mom has questionable taste in clothing but you do look gorgeous and Wolf will have a fit." Kara said with a smile.

"He already had a fit when I used his razor to shave my legs. I'm just happy I shaved my whole legs now." Larrin told her. Kara laughed as she might be a single child but she could only imagine Wolf's reaction.

"Shaving above the knees means you're expecting a little something something." Kara said teasingly, she had to admit that it was fun to see Larrin get all shy and girly about Miller. It was also unexpected as Kara figured the woman could date a guy from a GQ magazine cover. But the fact that Larrin seemed taken with Miller just endeared her more to Kara.

"No, it was like a forest down there. I don't want people mistaking me for being a Sasquatch." Larrin said with an exasperated sigh as she tugged the hem of the skirt down but it was futile as it rode up to it's original place.

"I think it might be something to do with a Seaman you were seen talking to in the bar this afternoon." Kara said in a light and teasing tone. "A certain tall, redheaded man." she added enjoying the blush gracing Larrin's cheeks as the woman tried to pretend she had no clue what Kara was saying.

Larrin pursed her lips and struggled not to say anything. She hadn't had a lot of female friends or well friends in general thanks to the age gap between her and her peers. That and the kids her age had been cruel just because she was a 'nerd'. But right now she wanted to blurt everything out to Kara like they were old friends and get some more information on Miller.

"He got me a club sandwich and fries to help dilute the beer Wolf and I had earlier." Larrin said giving away nothing as old habits died hard for her.

"Uhuh then why are you blushing over a sandwich?" Kara asked in an amused tone.

"We met in the park and he cured-well vaccinated me." Larrin shook her head. "That sounds so wrong." Larrin added as she covered her cheeks, she could swear she was coming down with a fever her face was so warm.

"It does but only a little." Kara agreed with a chuckle.

"You sure about this dress?" Larrin asked her yet again.

"Yes, I am. I also think you're going have Miller tongue tied when he sees you in that dress." Kara told her with a smile as Larrin gave her a 'give me a break' look while her cheeks grew red.

"Will you stop?" Larrin asked her as Kara kept bringing Miller up. Though Larrin actually didn't mind being teased by Kara at the woman wasn't like Wolf who seemed to think that Larrin needed the 'abstinence' talk.

"No, you blush every time I mention him. He must have really made an impression on you with that sandwich." Kara mused as she picked up her jacket and slipped it on. She had to pull hard on the front so as to button it over her baby bump.

"He's the first guy who's made me smile in a really long time." Larrin confessed, she looked to Kara expecting to see pity but notice the woman was a little occupied in trying to button her jacket. "Do you want a hand?" Larrin asked her as she could see Kara was struggling.

"Please, my dress uniform is just too tight. I had to let out the darts in my skirt but I have to button the jacket for the first half of tonight." Kara said as she gave up, Larrin moved to her and picked up the two halves of the jacket.

"How far along are you?" Larrin asked.

"15 weeks possibly 16? I'm healthy but I haven't had an ultrasound since Baltimore which was 6 weeks ago." Kara said, she felt herself deflate at the memory because after Baltimore there just never was enough time for anything but the mission.

"Well, you could get one tomorrow or whenever. I'd say there is one hospital that's open for business. You could find out if they can do a prenatal exam or at worst be directed to an open OB/GYN office." Larrin said she pulled hard on the jacket fabric as Kara sucked in her breath. Somehow miraculously the buttons slipped into place.

"There we go." Larrin said with a smile of success.

"Yeah, now I can't breathe properly." Kara said as she felt like her jacket was way too small for her.

"Well, I'd undo the buttons when you sit down otherwise they'll just ping off in several directions." Larrin advised her in a joking manner. Kara gave her a droll look.

"Thanks."

"Hey we can switch if you want." Larrin offered gesturing to the dress.

"Yeah, that is not going to happen." Kara assured her.

"It's stretchy-"

"And I would have looked like a whale unlike you. Anyway I'm looking forward to watching Wolf having a meltdown once the crew realises what a beauty you are." Kara said with a smile.

"Yeah, pass. I'm not interested in being a notch in some guy's belt." Larrin said with a sigh as her romantic life was none existant even before the pandemic. The few forays she had with romance left her feeling rather demoralised and keen to steer clear of men who were players and true academics as they tended to be more interested in her research or wanting her to be their personal assistant while they focussed on their research and arm candy at parties.

"You know Miller is not that kind of guy, right?" Kara asked her. Larrin looked at Kara through the reflection of the mirror she was standing in front of.

"I know, it's one of things I really like about him." Larrin said, she liked how he made her feel but also how he was so honest. There was no subterfuge with him, he was exactly as he appeared. All around good guy with old world manners that Larrin loved.

"What are the other things?" Kara asked as she was interested to know. She felt Larrin's pain as she knew what it was like to have baggage. Obviously whatever happened to Larrin in the past truly tainted her view of men.

"None of your business." Larrin said in a light tone.

"Ok, I'll just wait until you're drunk and get it out of you." Kara told her.

* * *

An hour later,

Miller and Cruz walked into the main ballroom where the inauguration ball was being held. It just like any other rubber chicken dinner event the military threw. Sure, Miller wasn't invited to many given his rank but he'd seen the places decked out and heard the stories.

The room was filled with Nathan James crew all in their formal dress uniforms and civilians who held some sort of rank in the city and their family members. They had already bumped into many familiar faces but Miller was trying to find Larrin. Wolf had pulled him aside after Larrin had left the bar earlier and warned him off trying anything with Larrin. Miller of course nodded and promised to be an absolute gentleman but he had not promised to give up pursuing her.

He really liked her, and while his ego reminded him that his chances of having more than a friendship with her were slim. He wasn't going to give up as she hadn't used any of the key phrases 'You're such a good friend' or anything along those lines.

"Bro, check it out. The chick talking with Lt Foster." Cruz said as he smacked Miller in the arm dragging him out of his thoughts. Miller scanned the ballroom and saw what had caught Cruz's attention.

Lt Foster was standing next Larrin, the two seemed to having a an amusing conversation as they dissolved into laughter. Larrin held onto a glass of beer while eating a burger slider. The sight of her made his heart skip a beat and his mouth go dry as she looked amazing, not that she hadn't before but now in her dress that hugged every curve, it made him weak.

"Hot, leggy, tall, likes to eat and drinks beer. That's my ticket. Dibs." Cruz told him, Miller opened his mouth to stop him but shut it as he figured it was better to just watch.

He picked up a beer as waiter went past with a tray loaded with drinks and took a sip as he watched Cruz insert himself into the conversation with Larrin and Lt Foster. Part of him was counting down the inevitable where Larrin would fall for Cruz's charm. The man had a natural talent for getting any woman he wanted. Another part him held out hope that

But after a few seconds, he couldn't help but notice as she crossed one arm across her body and stepped back from Cruz. It was usually at the point where the woman would smile and sway towards him. In fact she looked a little uncomfortable, something that surprised him but also made him walked towards them.

* * *

"I got to say you're not how Wolf described you." Cruz told Larrin with a smile as he looked her over.

"Ah thanks?" Larrin said uncomfortably as she inwardly cringed at what felt like a bad pick up line. She looked around the room trying to find Miller, wondering where he was in the mess of people as she wanted to talk to him and not Cruz. Sure the man had charm but his confidence and the way he looked at her made her feel more like a piece of meat than the beautiful woman he was implying her to be.

"Yeah but in saying that I can see why he's pretty closed lipped about you." Cruz told Larrin in a conversational manner.

"Or maybe you weren't paying attention like the rest of us." Lt Foster said smugly as she was enjoying the fact that she knew more about Larrin than all the men but also stepping in as she knew Larrin was not interested in Cruz.

"I'm paying attention now." Cruz assured them.

"Oh good, then can you get me another glass of water?" Kara asked him as she shoved her half full glass at him. Cruz frowned as he looked at the glass then at her. "Room temperature, no ice please." Kara added with a smile.

"I could go for some water too." Larrin said to him with a smile, Cruz smiled and nodded completely roped in by her smile and knowing that by getting her a drink he might be leaving but he'd be able to come back.

"No problem, my boy Miller can do that for you ladies." Cruz said smoothly as Miller came up to their group. "Miller, the-" Cruz stopped mid sentence as he watched in shock and frowned as Larrin smiled brightly at Miller.

"Eric. Hey." Larrin said to him.

"Hi," he said to her. He looked to Lt foster. "Ma'am. Cruz." He said greeting the other two. He looked back to Larrin with a closed lip smile before he pointed to Cruz. "I hope he's not bothering you." he said, using a line that his friends had used a million times before when they wanted him to get lost.

"He's ok. He was just getting us refreshments." Larrin said somewhat dismissively as she smiled at Miller like he were the only man in the room. Cruz looked at them incredulously before looking to Kara as if to ask 'What is that all about?' but the lieutenant rose her eyebrows at him with her own look of 'Where's my drink?'.

"Where's Wolfman?" Miller asked as he watched Cruz walk away to get drinks. He had to admit it was a role reversal for them as he was usually the one sent to fetch drinks. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous and out of sorts as Kara was watching them with avid interest. Not to mention the dress Larrin was wearing was even better up close.

"I may have accidentally pulled one of the buttons off his jacket. So he had to go fix it leaving Kara here as my protector. You clean up well." Larrin told him, Miller smiled and rubbed the back of his neck as he felt it go read from embarrassment. It was not everyday a woman as gorgeous as Larrin paid an average guy like him a compliment.

"You look beautiful." Miller told her, Larrin smiled warmly as she felt beautiful. It probably helped that he was looking at her face than his eyes glued to any other part of her body.

"Thank you." She said as she nervously smoothed a hand down the middle of the dress to soothe her nerves. She hadn't expected to feel nervous but she just didn't want to muck anything up with him.

"So, do you know where you're sitting?" Miller asked her.

"Table 9. What about you?" Larrin asked.

"Table 16." Miller said as he was stuck on the opposite side of the room. He saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes and couldn't help but feel the same way.

"Well, I'm sure after the meal service is finished we can all mingle." Larrin said finding the positive side of

"Yeah and we're going out afterwards if you want to join us." Cruz offered, reminding them all that he was there. Larrin gave a closed lip smile and shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer but I promised Wolf I would behave and frankly I've been on the road for the past 6 months. So I'm looking forward to sleeping on a mattress." Larrin told him.

"No, fun. Tonight's about celebrating." Cruz told her.

"That it is." Danny said as he appeared seamlessly out of no where.

"Lieutenant." Cruz and Miller said at nearly the same time acknowledging his rank and presence.

"Hey." Kara said with a smile to two shared a look that made Larrin envious as the two were clearly in love even though they were pretending to be casual and aloof by not touching one another.

"Miller, a word." Danny said to him, he tilted his head for them to move away. Miller gave a nod and followed him wondering if he was trouble as Danny wore a pretty serious expression.

"Sir," Miller said as they stepped away leaving Kara, Larrin and Cruz to talk among themselves.

"Doctor Scott has orders to head north into the field for the next four months to distribute the cure and do whatever she does. Jeter mentioned you wanted to go home for part of your R&R. Dr Scott requires an escort. I know it's not ideal but if you were willing to volunteer your time for the next four months, we can swing you a week to go home to Iowa as I know you lived pretty close to the border of Nebraska. It will also give you some good experience when it comes to land team work." Danny explained to him.

"Sir, I volunteer." Miller said caught up in the excitement and disbelief as he couldn't believe he'd be able to go home so quickly but also given the opportunity for more experience and field work as an operator.

"Ok, good. You'll fly out tomorrow at 1600 hours. Be packed and enjoy your night." Danny told him.

"Thank you Sir." Miller said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

"Seriously? What is wrong with you?" Wolf asked Larrin incredulously as he'd turn away to ask a waiter for another beer only to turn back to find the steak he'd been looking forward to eating replaced by the chicken meal that was going around as the alternate to the steaks. Not only that but she was already halfway through his meal and he'd only turned away for a few minutes.

"What do you mean?" Larrin asked behind her hand as her mouth was full of steak and mashed potatoes. She knew it was bad but she couldn't help but steal Wolf's steak. Not only to get back at him for trying to scare off Miller but also because the steak was too good to not take from him.

"That's my steak." Wolf informed her looking unimpressed.

"Quick and the dead Bro. You want it back?" Larrin asked him in an amused yet daring tone, she raised a questioning an eyebrow at him as kids when they had this situation and one of them said 'yes' it mean the person eating would spit the food back onto the plate and hand it over to the owner with what was left. It was a habit their mother broke them of very quickly. But Wolf would put it past her to not do it now.

"Not now, given that you're halfway through it. Where are you packing all this food?" He asked her as she had pinched his entrée, he knew she also had a club sandwich and fries only a couple of hours ago. She was usually a light eater but so far she was eating like she was going to go into hibernation or something. While it annoyed him that she was thieving his food it also pained him as it made him wondered what she had endured the past few months on her own. It pained him as it was his job to look after her and he'd failed even if it was unknowingly. He still failed.

"In my purse? where do you think?" Larrin asked before she took another bite of steak. She knew tonight she would either sleep like she was in a coma or be sick. She was hoping for the former as she hadn't had a good night's sleep since the pandemic started and she hated vomiting.

"Larrin, you're a woman after my own heart." Tex mused from a seat down from Larrin as his daughter Kathleen sat between him and Larrin. She smiled at the older man as he just egged on her thievery and didn't comment or bat an eye when she had stashed a couple bread rolls into her purse. Old habits were going to die for her. But at least he didn't judge her.

Larrin also liked his daughter as she was shy at first but after she relaxed she had a lot of spunk and her father's sense of humour. She just felt overwhelmed at Larrin with being surrounded by so many people and being reunited with family again.

"If only I was 15 years older." Larrin joked.

"Try twenty years." Tex corrected her with a wink.

* * *

"Dude, why didn't you tell me about Larrin? She's like hot and you talked to her all afternoon or so I'm told."Cruz said as he looked annoyed at Miller for not telling him about Larrin. But Miller had his reasons. Sure he had just taken on extra duties that would take away any chance for him to be with Larrin. But he needed to find his Mom and the trade off was worth it even when it meant losing a chance of pursuing Larrin. At least tonight he could entertain himself with the fantasy of 'what if'.

"They looked fairly cozy at the bar for people who'd just met." Bacon commented, the man had ratted Miller's meet with Larrin to the table. He tried to take it in his stride as everyone ribbed him and wished him luck as they reminded him that Larrin was out of his league. Or as O'Conor and Cruz who were already deep into the free booze had estimated that he and Larrin lived in two different galaxies.

"It slipped my mind." Miller lied.

"How can that slip your mind?" Cruz asked incredulously as he gestured to Larrin who was now talking to Dr Scott. The meal service part of the evening was over and the speeches were finished as they were finally in the celebrating part of the evening as music was playing and people were mingling.

It was weird to see the Doctor so formally dressed and also looking like she was having fun as the last few months; she had been intensely focussed on her work. There had only been brief moments where she showed actually joy and right now the woman looked to be over moon. But then the success of the cure had given everyone a lot reasons to smile and be grateful.

"I've been occupied with trying to find a way of getting home to find my Mom. Anyway, she's too intelligent for you." Miller informed him with a cocky grin as everyone knew Cruz's type was anything female with a pulse.

"Ouch, I like smart girls." Cruz informed him.

"You're forgetting that she's not into you. Cruz let it go, the girl likes redheads." Bacon said but even he wore a mystified expression as he didn't understand how Miller could have a woman like Larrin be interested in him. He tried not to be hurt by it even if he too questioned it.

"Well, she was not receptive to me earlier But then Lt Foster was totally blocking me." Cruz admitted, he knew he didn't have a chance with Larrin given how she looked at Miller but he couldn't help but rile Miller. Just to see what he would do as Miller wasn't exactly forward when it came to women, he needed to be nudged. "Though she didn't seem to mind you getting all close and personal." Cruz added.

"Maybe because I'm a gentleman." Miller offered.

* * *

"- and I'm sorry. I'm totally rambling." Larrin said with an embarrassed smile as she had basically gone complete fan girl on Dr Scott talking about her work and how she had managed to make it apply to her research even though they were separate areas. But she couldn't help it as Dr Scott listened to her and asked questions with a keen interest that was both exhilarating and humbling.

"Actually, it's quite lovely to hear someone talk so enthusiastically about my work. You have a very good grasp of the subject matter for someone so young. How old are you?" Rachel asked her.

"22 years old. I nearly finished my PhD and was about to start my internship and residency to become a qualified doctor but it all kind of fell apart." Larrin said making a face as she hated how ironic it was that she had wanted to be a scientist and doctor only for a virus to wipe away her chances.

"A pandemic will do that. Have you made plans on what you're going to do now?" Rachel asked her, she couldn't help but be impressed with the young woman as she was one of the minority of people who fully grasped her work unlike the majority who just nodded and smiled vaguely as they hid that they had no clue what Rachel was talking about. So it was rather refreshing to find a like-minded person in the crowd.

"I don't know, I'm in a grey area as I'm currently 'displaced' from my country and no one has told me what exactly I can do or my status. Am I a refugee or an illegal alien to be jailed before being deported. I would like to continue my studies but-"

"There are no facilities or teachers to help you." Rachel finished her her.

"Yeah." Larrin said with a sigh as she would love to be at the same level as Dr Scott but given she couldn't find the resources to help her become the scientist she wanted to be let alone mentors it was a uphill battle.

"Well, I have to say that I'm thoroughly impressed with you." Rachel told her, Larrin ducked her head and blushed at the compliment as it meant a lot to hear it.

"Thank you." Larrin said.

"As such I'd like to offer you a job as my assistant. " Rachel told her.

"Really?" Larrin asked in disbelief as she couldn't believe Rachel was offering her a job after a 5 minute conversation. It was amazing offer.

"Yes, I have been given orders to continue my work across the American continent. So, if you're interested, you could join me. You'd work as my assistant and in exchange I will train you as a doctor and help you with your studies. It won't be an easy job but I think you'll find challenging and you'll gain extensive experience that will count for a lot down the track. Wo what do you say?" Rachel asked her.

"I say yes." Larrin said without thinking about it at all. She knew she had just reunited with Wolf and met Miller but she knew they wouldn't be around forever as their jobs would take them away. She'd be on her own again but here Rachel was offering a job that could potentially pick up the pieces of her life and education and put them to use.

"Fantastic. It might take a couple days to cut through some red tape but after that you can join me in Nebraska." Rachel told her.

"What's this about Nebraska?" Wolf asked as he'd been tuning out most of the conversation as it was all above his head.

"Dr Scott offered me a job. I accepted." Larrin said.

"I hope you don't mind me whisking your sister away." Rachel said with an amused smile. She felt bad for breaking up the siblings but she couldn't pass the opportunity of being able to help a young mind grow into a colleague for her to work with.

"May I steal her away for a word?" Wolf asked her.

"Of course," Rachel said, Larrin frowned as she walked with Wolf a few steps away. He stepped in close to her and spoke to her in a low voice.

"Are you serious?" he asked her.

"Yes, it's amazing opportunity."

"It's dangerous out there." Wolf told her, Larrin made a face at him.

"Where exactly do you think I've been these past few months?" Larrin asked him incredulously as he first was trying to keep her from trying to form any connection with Miller and now it felt like he was standing in her way of actually being a productive member of society. He gave a look that was a mix of pain and guilt which made her feel bad for pointing out the obvious. "Look, I know it sucks we'll only have a couple of days before I go again but what am I supposed to do?"

"You're supposed to stay safe. Stay here and do an internship at the hospital here." He told her.

"Dude, that's the equivalent of me telling you to go play with G.I. Joe toys instead of doing your job. I want to do this, do you realise how much I could learn from Dr Scott?" Larrin asked him.

"A lot. Fine, I'll go with you." Wolf said making a snap decision.

"What?" Larrin said rearing back as she felt like something had backfired in their argument.

"I'm not letting you go out there without me just when we found one another again." Wolf told her in a firm tone. He refused to lose his sister again and so he'd have to give up his R&R, he knew in the end he'd feel better about it as he was doing his duty to her as a brother.

"I-" Larrin threw her hands up in surrender "Ok, fine but we are not sharing tent or whatever the accommodations are." Larrin told him.

"Fine, but we're getting you proper shoes. No way are you going to run around diseased people in Birkenstocks. Oh by the way you owe me $50" He told her as he reminded her of a bet they made that she'd claimed she'd never wear Birkenstock shoes until she was over 50. Larrin pursed her lips at him and gave a nod acknowledging he was right.

"Fair cop. Ah here we go." Larrin said she mimicked the movements as if she were opening and imaginary wallet and then when she pulled out the imaginary $50 note she gave him the one finger salute.

"Nice." Wolf said shaking his head in amusement. "Real nice, I can see why you're single." He teased.

"Oh yeah, I bet you do given you see that reason every time you look in the mirror." Larrin informed him.

"Trust me, I'm doing you a favour. These guys are animals. They've been out at sea that they have no taste. They just want something with a pulse." Wolf told her in an amused manner as Larrin looked skeptical.

"Well, I'm going to go dance with one of the animals." Larrin told him before she left him to go in search of Miller.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Larrin had barely made it ten steps away from Wolf when a tall, blonde guy dressed in a formal dress navy uniform who looked like he was related to Ken Doll stepped in her way. He immediately smiled wide showing perfect smile that only solidified her opinion that he was a Ken Doll minus the traits she believed the doll's character to have as Ken Dolls usually were interested in Barbies. A Barbie doll she was not.

"Hey, I'm Petty Officer Cameron Wright." he said introducing himself, he slightly slurred his words and she couldn't help but notice that his eyes were a little glassy. All of which made Larrin nervous as she was looking for Miller not to be hit on by some drunk navy sailor.

"Ah, nice to meet you." Larrin said, she tried to move away but Wright blocked her way by stepping in front of him.

"I didn't catch your name Gorgeous." He slurred, stepping in closer to her. Larrin stepped back and gave him a strained closed lip smile as she knew his type. He was conceited enough to think that he could have any girl in the room at the snap of a finger.

"I didn't give it. Now if you'll excuse me I'm trying to catch up with someone." Larrin said as she tried to take another way around him only to have him crowd her.

"No need to be rude." He told her in a playful tone as he ran a hand down her arm as if he were soothing a nervous animal. Larrin's heart flew into her throat in panic as she didn't appreciate the gesture and after months of solitude such personal contact from a stranger unnerved her.

"I apologise and now I'm going to go." Larrin said backing away from him.

"Come on, I've been watching you all night Babe. How about a dance?" He asked her.

"No, thank you." Larrin said with a shake of her head as she turned away ready to climb over a banquet table when Wright caught her by the wrist and pulled her back to face. She knew he was being persistent and playful but to her it was an aggressive move.

"Hold up." Wright told her with a smile as his gripped tightened. Larrin winced as he was too drunk to realise how painful his grip was. Panic rose in her throat as fear bloomed through her body.

"Let go of me." Larrin said in a low voice as she tried to keep herself calm but he didn't let her go instead he pulled her towards him like he thought they were playing a game but it snapped something within her.

Her body went into autopilot from her years of training and the last months of living on the run. All rational thought flew out of her head as she reacted on pure instinct. She jabbed him in the throat and then punched him in quick successions to the sternum and stomach and then turned her back to him as she wrapped her hands around his neck and threw him to the floor. She ended up in a crouched position by his head with her hand still gripping his neck as she was ready to punch him out when she heard her name.

She stopped and looked down at Wright with wide eyes. She released her grip and Wright groaned in pain. She rose to her feet and stumbled away from Wright completely shocked and appalled by her lack of control. Mortified that she had made a spectacle of herself and embarrassed not only her brother but Miller. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked around at the faces seeing their shocked expressions, the obvious concern on Wolf's face.

"I'm sorry." Larrin said to no one in particular in a blind panic as she barely registered the activity before she turned and ran out of the room. Wolf pushed through the crowd as half the crew started in to look after Wright while others placated the civilians or he assumed as he stepped onto a banquet table to cut through the room.

He made out the door and headed down the stairs shouted at Larrin as he spotted her trying to walk calmly through the lobby. She stopped and turned him, her eyes completely wild as her demeanour was that of a hunted prey looking sanctuary.

"Larrin," He said as he got closer to her. Part of him wanted to shake her while another part of him wanted to hold her. She had seemed so completely happy and at ease, he just assumed she was fine but now he saw her differently.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt him. I-I-" Larrin stopped as she couldn't find a way to explain herself, she gave a shake of her head and shrug as tears filled her eyes. She wanted hide from the mortification and the way Wolf looked at her like she were a bird with a broken wing.

"Hey, I don't care about him. You got nothing to apologise for. But where are you running off to?" Wolf asked her.

"I-I don't know." Larrin said completely shaken by what she had done. She couldn't explain to him. Not because she didn't want to. It was just that she had no words to explain it.

"What was that back there? You never fight, you hate physical violence." Wolf said confused as he'd never seen his sister go on the offensive before. She usually used her words not her fists. It was a fairly large deviation from the sister he knew.

"He grabbed my arm and I panicked- I completely messed everything up." Larrin said blowing out a breath as she was still trying to calm down. She had felt sheer terror at what should of been an annoyance.

"No, you didn't." Wolf assured her as he rubbed a hand up and down her back in a soothing manner. All it did was make her want to cry even more.

"Taylor,"

Wolf looked up to see Kara towards them.

"Lieutenant." Wolf said in greeting. She gave them both a kind smile.

"Captain Chandler wants to speak with you. I'll stay with her." Kara offered. Wolf gave a nod and looked to Larrin who seemed to regain some of her composure.

"Ok, thanks." Wolf said as he dropped his hand away from Larrin's back.

"We'll be in the bar." Kara told him, he watched as Kara wrapped an arm around Larrin's and guided her slowly towards the lobby bar. He was grateful that Kara had come down as she was alumni of the Nathan James the fact she would take care of his sister meant that what happened with Wright wasn't going to be a huge disaster or so he hoped as he was backing his sister 100% and wouldn't want to lose what he'd found on the Nathan James for it.

* * *

"I thought Wolfman was hardcore but damn. Looks like he's the least of your problems." Cruz said to Miller.

Miller wanted to find Larrin and see if she was ok but they still had a couple more hours of the ball to endure before they were released from their duties. He couldn't exactly slip away now that the commanders and Master Chief were keeping eagle eyes on them all thanks to Wright. The asshole had it coming as far as Miller was concerned. He just wished it could have been avoided completely.

The guy was drunk in uniform which was not cool. Sure they were given some leniency in regards to drinking in uniform but getting drunk and having a woman try to flatten you for harassing her was not only bad for their image but it also led to a bad conduct discharge. Something Wright would escape given there weren't enough sailors let alone ones trained in his job. Yet.

"Oh, so now you're not interested?" Miller asked trying to keep it cool but also seeing where Cruz's head was at in regards to Larrin. Frankly he was fence sitting with her. He wanted to pursue her but on the other hand he was leaving to find his Mom.

"Ah yeah, the woman flattened Wright for grabbing her arm. Crazy women aren't my style. Easy women. Definitely but Crazy. No." Cruz said with a wry smile.

"Ok, well cover for me." Miller told him feeling better that Cruz was not going to be stepping in his way.

"Where you going?" Cruz asked.

"To find Larrin." Miller told him.

"Did you not see what happened to Wright?" Cruz asked him incredulously.

"I'm not him." Miller said as he threw his hands up in the air to say that was all he had. He placed his half empty beer glass on the table and walked away.

"Good Point." Cruz said under his breath as he turned back to the crowd in the room.

* * *

"Here, drink." Kara told her as she passed the glass of water to Larrin.

"I'm so sorry." Larrin said to her as she took the water and did what Kara ordered. "I mucked up your night." Larrin added in a despondent tone as Kara was supposed to be upstairs partying not down here looking after her.

"No, you gave us a bit of entertainment." Kara corrected.

"Everything was going so well. I got a job offer from Dr Scott. I was going to dance and celebrate but instead I attack a crew member of your ship. I embarrassed Wolf, probably scared off Miller and lost my job with Dr Scott cause I'm-" Larrin started but Kara cut her off.

"Look, St Louis is like this untouched bubble of the old world before the pandemic. But all of us on the ship, we've seen how fractured and dangerous the rest of the world is. You had to survive in that mess. So while yes, what you did to Wright was incredibly aggressive to the people here. To me, to anyone else from the ship it's understandable. Heartbreaking but understandable because we know that there are people like you who have had to use extreme measures to survive. That's not something you can switch off and get on with your day. It takes time. Something anyone who's ever been deployed can tell you." Kara told her in a soothing manner, she gave Larrin a soft and understanding smile.

"Thank you." Larrin said as Kara's words made her feel somewhat better.

"Everything will be ok." Kara assured her.

"So, what do you think the Captain is saying to my brother?" Larrin asked her.

"I have no idea but don't worry about it. I know Dr Scott will understand and you'll still have a job, Wolf can get over himself if he's embarrassed and as for Miller... Well I don't think he's scared off." Kara told her a smiled played on her lips as she moved her eyes in a 'Look that way' gesture. Larrin looked up and there at the entryway stood Miller.

"I'm going to go powder my nose." Kara said as she rose from her seat and headed to the ladies room. Larrin rose from her chair and cautiously moved towards Miller. Not because she was afraid of him but because she was afraid of making a fool of herself. She didn't want to admit it but she really like him. He was possibly the nicest and most polite man she had encountered since the pandemic.

"Hey. Are you ok?" Miller asked her.

"I'll live, he was being an ass and I over-reacted. I'm sorry." She said, she cringed as she couldn't stop apologising. Miller closed the space between them but made no move to touch her but the way he looked at her made her feel warm and comforted.

"You don't need to apologise. Wright had it coming for months."

"I was trying to find you in the crowd. I was hoping we could share a dance. That is if you dance." Larrin said in a shy manner. "Not that it matters as I can't show my face up there after what happened." She admitted, she bit her bottom lip and she hug her arms around her middle in a self protecting manner. She couldn't help but wait for some kind of blow back where he'd just drop her like a hot potato for being a mess or too crazy.

"May I?" he asked as he held out his hand to her. His cheeks were burning as they were standing in the middle of a bar. He was not a flashy and confident guy but he could dance. Frankly the way Larrin looked at him and made him feel about himself made him want give her the world.

Larrin took his hand in much the same way like they had first met. He relished the confidence that her trust in him gave him, as he slowly closed the gap between them. He adjusted the hold of her hand in his and lifted her other hand placing it on his shoulder as he slid a hand around her waist to the middle of her back.

He felt her tense up but didn't pull back. He knew he was taking a risk of ending up like Wright but he felt it was worth it even just hold her for a little while and as soon as she said the word. He'd pull away.

"What are you doing?" She asked him nervously, as she was unsure of what was going on but not entirely hating it. She could feel the heat of his body and smell the light scent of his cologne that was incredibly intoxicating.

"We're dancing, whenever you want to move your feet." Miller said, Larrin gave a chuckle and ducked her head for a moment before she looked at him.

"I might step on your toes." She warned him.

"I'll survive." He assured her, as they slowly started to dance. She barely made it a few steps before as warned Larrin stepped on his foot. They faltered and laughed it off before continuing on.

After a few rounds of the same steps, Larrin began to relax in his arms. Miller's hand on her back never went any lower and he kept his gaze on her face when he wasn't making sure they didn't bump into furniture. She couldn't help but enjoy the moment as it felt incredibly special to be held by him and let go of her control and let him take the lead.

"So have you made any decisions about where you'll end up?" Miller asked her breaking the companionable silence.

"I had a job offer from Dr Scott to go with her but after tonight. I doubt it's still on the table." Larrin said begrudgingly.

"Dr Scott was gone by then and even so, I doubt she'd care. If the offer was still on the table would you go?" he asked, he couldn't help but feel his hopes lift as it meant their separation wouldn't be too long at all if she was with Dr Scott then he'd get to see her nearly everyday barring when he went to find his Mom.

"Yeah, she's amazing and it would be great as it'd set me for life." Larrin said her eyes lit with excitement at the prospect.

"I think you should take it." Miller said, he knew if Larrin didn't it would be a waste of her potential as he could see it was something that would make her happy an he wanted that for her.

"You do?" Larrin asked.

"Yeah but I'm selfish in telling you that." he confessed with a sly smile.

"Why?" she asked with a frown.

"I'm on her security detail which means I'd be around and we could hang out together." Miller said, he wanted to say 'date each other' but chickened out as he didn't want to push his luck.

"I'd like that." Larrin said to him.

"Looks like the party upstairs is coming to us." Miller said as he heard yahooing and footfalls coming their way and slowed their dance bringing it to a natural conclusion. Larrin gave a closed lip smile and reluctantly stepped back.

"Thank you for the dance." she told him.

"Any time." He told her.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: I just want to give a huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed to this story. Your words have inspired and fueled my work. I should warn now that I'm expanding it out a little more and this week is just a tiny installment as I kind of went nuts with my other story and my hands hurt from typing. Anyways! Please Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 8

* * *

"It kind of sounds like you're the one who lost the ball. You piked it out of his hand." Larrin told Burk in an off handed manner as he'd had been regaling her and the small group about how Miller had lost the last basketball to the ocean along with other stories of Miller mucking up on the ship.

Sure they were somewhat amusing stories but she didn't really like how backhanded his friends were acting as they tell an embarrassing story and then add 'He's a good soldier' or whatever compliment they could think of the make up for it. Like they wanted her to know he was new to the Navy and laugh about it. She figured it was a guy thing as Miller didn't look insulted whereas if a girl spoke of her like that she'd call her a bitch and walk away. Ok, she'd think the girl a bitch and walk away. So The last story Burk was sharing grated on her nerves which was why Larrin couldn't help but jump to Miller's defence.

The men had been laughing at the story stopped and actually thought about it.

"Yeah, she's right." Will Mason commented before he took a pull of his beer as he agreed with Larrin.

"It was a game, he lost the ball." Burk said in a manner that said he was right and that was final.

"But you said you could have grabbed it at any time but you decided to let him take the shot. Then hit it out of his hands. So you were the last one to touch the ball making you the person who lost it." Larrin pointed out, Cruz chuckled while Miller kept quiet a closed lip smile on his lips as he finally felt vindicated for what happened that day.

"I don't like you." Burk grumbled in good humour. Larrin grinned and was about to tell him that she didn't care when a loud crash sounded from the kitchen behind the bar.

"Hey! you're not supposed to be back here!" Someone shouted. The sound of more glasses and plates shattering on the ground sounded from behind the bar that led to the kitchen. A second later a man covered in sweat dressed in dirty clothes ran into the bar area.

Everyone in the bar had stopped at the noise and now looked at him. The man's eyes went wide and without a second passing he pulled a gun from out of nowhere.

"Gun!" someone shouted. What happened was a blur of action, Larrin was flattened to the floor by Miller. His arms covered over her head as glass and beer sprayed over them. Larrin squeezed her eyes close tightly as she heard the shouting of the other occupants in the room and the groaning of someone who must have been injured and Halsey barking viciously.

After several shots sounded, all that was left was the clicking sound as gun was empty. A cry sounded from the area where the gunman had been as Halsey made wild snarling noises intermitted with the man crying out "Fucking get it off me!".

"Heel." Danny said, Miller lifted his head to see Danny and Cruz drag the gunman around to the front of the bar. The man's arm was bleeding profusely from what Miller assumed to be Halsey's work.

He turned back to Larrin and realised he was still lying on top of her. "Larrin," he said, she looked over her shoulder at him with eyes wide in shock. He pulled himself off her body and caught her by the elbow helping her to her feet.

She pushed her hair away from her face and looked around the bar, she dropped a shade as she saw the gunman. Miller stepped infront of her blocking her view and was about to get her to focus on him when Taylor stepped between them.

"You ok?" Taylor asked Larrin who was looking shell shocked. Larrin licked her lips and gave a shaky nod. Wolf pulled her into his arms hugging her, she looked to Miller.

"You saved me. Thank you." Larrin told Miller.

"You think you've won but you haven't! You're all going to die with your precious doctor lady to save you. The immunes will take what's rightfully ours as God promised!" The gunman snarled loudly drawing everyone's attention.

"Green-" Mike started to say an order but Green cut off as he knew exactly what he was asking.

"On it. Halsey" Green said he whistled for the dog to follow. He looked to the others on his team to come with. Miller looked ready to follow but Wolf stopped him.

"Miller stay with Larrin." Wolf ordered in a manner that it sounded more like a pleading than a firm order. He shrugged out of his jacket and wrapped it around Larrin's shoulders. Miller gave a nod and watched as Wolf took off with Tex, Danny and Cruz.

He turned back to Larrin who was still looking a little lost. Kara and Milowsky were already triaging the wounded not that there were many which was lucky. Garnett and Slattery were talking while Rios used a med kit to bandage the gunman's arm. Mason had run off to alert the hotel security and Captian or he assumed while Bacon were talking to Kathleen and Ray who looked just as shaken as Larrin. The only reason the gunman was being kept alive was that they needed to pump him for information.

"Larrin." Miller said, he smoothed a hand down her arm. She flinched at first but focussed on him, it must have woken her up from her stupor as she became more animated.

"Are you ok? Did you get shot?" she asked him as she closed the gap between them. Her eyes searching his face and body for signs of any injuries but she wouldn't find any as he was fine.

"I'm good." Miller assured her with a smile.

"Good." Larrin said her eyes filled with tears. Miller had no clue what to do when a woman cried, so he just went on instinct and wrapped her up in his arms. He felt her hands twist in the fabric of his dress blues and her body shake in his arms. She didn't make a sound but he felt her hot tears soak through the fabric which only made him hold onto her tighter.

"You're ok." He murmured to her.

* * *

"The Doc is on level 5." Tex said as he climbed the fire escape stairs two at time. Halsey was way ahead of them as he and Danny ran up the flights of stairs. Wolf and Cruz were taking the secondary fire escape stairs on the opposite end of the hotel. They had no clue who'd reach Rachel first but Tex hoped they weren't too late.

They made it to the 5th floor in a matter of minutes, Danny kicked the door open and Halsey ran out like a bat out of hell not even slowed by all the exercise. Halsey barked a few times but the lack of a growl was a good sign as it meant the dog didn't detect any bad guys. But something was wrong.

Tex and Danny stepped out into the hallway and Tex felt like he'd been punched in gut as he saw Halsey hovering over Rachel's prone form on the floor. Even as winded as he felt; fresh adrenaline dumped into his system prompting him to act.

"Danny, go to the housekeeping and get the first aid kit." Tex said pointing to a door just to the side of where they came out. The door had an electric lock on hit so Danny turned his back and kicked the door. The frame popped from the force and he pushed it open. Tex raced down the hallway to where Rachel laid and knelt down by her side.

"Good boy, now sit." Tex said as he gave Halsey a rough pat on the head and gently nudged the dog back. Halsey did as ordered, his tail thumped on the floor happily as he knew he'd done a good job. Tex turned to Rachel, his heart pounding at the sight of her her.

She was like a fallen angel as she laid there staring at the ceiling eyes wide as her face was still frozen in shock. Her breath came out in struggled puffs, her chest jerkily moved as she struggled to breath.

"Rachel, you hear me?" Tex asked, he leaned over her checking her pulse and assessed her visually for injuries all he could tell was that she had been shot to the chest as the blood made the black material glisten under the lighting.

Her eyes found his as she gave a groan of pain. She tried to say something but no words came out. All that came out was a trickle of blood. She knew her injury was bad, just by the way she looked at him.

"It's ok, just focus on sticking with me. You can tell me how good I look in a suit later." Tex joked. She gave a weak smile as tears slid down the sides of her face. Danny rushed to him and placed the first aid kit on the floor. Tex pulled out the switchblade he always carried with him as Danny popped the lid.

"This kit is half empty." He complained, Tex looked down and grimaced as there was barely anything in it bare gloves, some gauze and tape. He could MacGyver something out of it but he didn't feel comfortable doing so given he had too much to drink and even though he felt sober that didn't mean he was as his brain just couldn't make the connections to tell him what to do.

"It doesn't matter, call the bar for Rios or Kara and then an ambo." Tex said as he pulled on the surgical gloves, he gently felt under her first to find an exit wound and cursed as he found none. He "I'm so sorry, But I gotta do this." He told her, her breath came out in sharp huffs as he opened his switchblade and used it slice away the dress material away until he found the bullet wound. It made a horrible sucking noise as she dragged air into her lungs. Tex new she needed an occlusive dressing but he had nothing to work with. She made a whimpering noise as he pressed his gloved hand over the hand using it to act as a valve. His other hand came to her face and gently smoothed it over her forehead and hair as he looked down at her.

"You're going to be ok. You just need to hang in there with me." He told her, she gave a nod as more tears filled her eyes. He knew she was in a lot of pain but there was nothing he could do but keep her calm and conscious. Something she knew even in her state as she looked at him like he was her life line. "I'm going to be with you all the way." Tex told her.

"There's no sign of any other immunes." Wolf said as he and Cruz raced to join them.

"Wolf, I need you to keep an eye on my kid for me as I'll be going with Rachel to the hospital." Tex said from his place on the floor. He knew he should stay with Kathleen but he couldn't leave Rachel as she was right now. He needed to be here for her, he knew Kathleen would understand as she had her father figured out the moment Tex looked at Rachel. The fact that Kathleen had so openly embraced Rachel when they first met meant her daughter had accepted her.

"No problem." Wolf told him.

"I'm here." Kara said as she rushed down the hallway to them. She was carrying a small med kit with her. She picked up the key card that had been laying next to Rachel and opened the door to create more space. Danny quickly moved to the door and held it open as Kara knelt down on the other side of Rachel.

She popped open the kit and pulled on gloves. "Lift your hand." she told Tex, he did as she asked but never broke eye contact with Rachel. Kara gently inspected the wound and gave a nod as she placed Tex's hand back over the wound again.

"Ok, I need to make an occlusive dressing. Do you have ACR in your kit?" She asked Tex. Tex shook his head.

"I got nothing but tape and gauze." Tex told her. Kara cursed under her breath as she had hoped that his kit being larger would have more equipment in it. But she'd just have to make do.

"Danny, give me you military ID card." Kara said to Danny, she held out her hand and watched as Danny pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and pulled out his ID card. She had to love that he couldn't get out of the habit of carrying his wallet as it was going to save Rachel's life.

"Here." Danny said passing the card to her. Kara quickly cleaned the card with an alcohol swab and pulled the tape and gauze from Tex's kit.

"Lift your hand up." Kara told Tex. He did and his eyes darted to see her quickly wipe the blood from Rachel's chest before she taped three sides of the card down over the wound. She sat back on her feet and waited.

After a few terrifying moments for Tex, Rachel's breathing became less laboured and she seemed to calm down some given the situation.

"See all good, you're a rock star at this." Tex told her, he pulled off his gloves and tossed them into the kit and quickly took Rachel's hand in his and went back to stroking the side of her face and hair in a soothing manner. He wasn't sure if it was helping her but it was definitely helping him.

"You just stay awake, and squeeze my hand as hard as you can." Tex told Rachel who nodded sluggishly, her eyes never left his face as she used him as a focal point.

"The paramedics should be here soon." Kara told them.

"Speaking of." Danny said, Halsey gave a bark and they all looked up bar Rachel to see the paramedics rushing down the hallway with a gurney to them.

Kara got to her feet with Danny's assistance while Tex moved around so he was at Rachel's head so as to give the paramedics space. Danny moved back into the hallway with Halsey and turned to Wolf and Cruz.

"We need to find out how he slipped through the security." Danny said.

"X.O. is on it, the Captain should be informed by now." Cruz said Danny looked over his shoulder at Kara who was telling the Paramedics Rachel's stats and everything they needed to know. Within moments the doctor was lifted onto the gurney and moved down the hallway. Tex was still holding onto the Doctor's hand as he went with her and the Paramedics as they disappeared into the elevator, Kara with them.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

* * *

A couple of hours later,

Wolf walked back into the bar and found that all the broken glass and blood had been cleaned up. There were still some of crew around drinking coffee and tea as they waited for news. Wolf knew their roles were non essential to the lock down of the hotel and basically were waiting for news or orders in case they were needed after all.

Danny and Cruz were already on route to the hospital to stand guard and support Tex. He had no clue where the Captain was but he'd already been stopped by the X.O. and informed that he was to rest up and go to the hospital to relieve Danny and Cruz with Miller.

Miller sitting on one of the two seater lounges with Larrin on the opposite end. They looked fairly engrossed in their conversation as they hadn't noticed him walking up. He looked to see Kathleen was curled up an armchair asleep with his jacket over her.

"I felt like an idiot." Miller confessed to Larrin who gave a chuckle. Wolf was glad that Larrin was looking less shaken even if she was flirting with Miller yet again. He had real mixed feeling about them but decided not to intervene too much.

"Yeah well our Mum really loves Shifter romance novels." Larrin told him to try and explain why she and her brother all had uncommon names. Wolf immediately knew that Miller was telling her how Miller asked him where he got his name not realising it wasn't a nickname but what was written on his birth certificate.

"Shifter romance?" Miller asked confused as he had no idea what that mean. Larrin blushed lightly and pressed the side of her face into the lounge as she tried to find a way of explaining it without it sounded too dirty.

"Yeah, Alpha males who can transform into animals at will. Hence the term 'shifter'." Larrin explained with an awkward smile.

"Ah. Ok." Miller said with a smile of his own even though he didn't really understand the appeal.

"Yeah, our Mum also writes them." Wolf said joining the conversation. Miller looked at both of them and Larrin gave a nod as it was true. Their Mum wrote raunchy supernatural romance fiction for a living and was pretty good at it even if she didn't make a lot of money; she had loved it. It did work well given they had to move a lot for their Father's job in the military.

"Really?" Miller asked them.

"Yeah, she was a really good storyteller." Larrin said wistfully. Tears burned the back of her eyes as she thought of how she hadn't spoken to her mother in months and how much she missed her.

"She is a good storyteller." Miller said in a gently manner changing Larrin's tenses to remind her not to give up hope. Larrin blinked a couple of times and gave a closed lip smile. Wolf couldn't help but agree with Miller even though he couldn't say it out loud as he like Larrin felt that isolation of being lost in a foreign country and the pain of not knowing what happened to his and Larrin's family.

"So did you find Dr Scott?" Larrin asked Wolf changing the topic.

"Looked critical, she's been taken to the hospital. Tex, Danny, Cruz and Kara are there with her. We'll be spelling Danny and Cruz at 0900 tomorrow. So we should pack this up and get some rest." Wolf said talking to Miller for the last part.

"Ok." Miller said.

"What about Kathleen?" Larrin asked.

"She'll be staying with us tonight." Wolf said before he turned to Kathleen and gently shook her by the shoulder. The girl slowly woke up and frowned as she saw his face.

"Where's my Dad?" Kathleen asked looking around.

"He's gone to the hospital with Dr Scott. He asked me to look after you until he gets back tomorrow." Wolf told her. The girl looked a little lost for a moment.

"Oh." she replied dully and Wolf realised that she must have misinterpreted his meaning. He gently poked her shoulder to get her attention.

"He isn't gone for good. It's just that the doc had a mean grip on him." Wolf told her with an amused smile. Kathleen didn't look so convinced. "He'll be back for breakfast but until then he'd like you to hang out with us. So why don't we stop by your room get your gear and you can stay in my and Larrin's room for the rest of the night." He said to her.

"Ok, but I don't have any stuff." Kathleen told him looking incredible awkward about being possession less and not entirely enthusiastic about it but agreeing to it none the less. She rose from the chair and awkwardly held out his jacket to him.

"Keep it for now, you can protect it from Larrin's attempts to dismantle it and we'll find you something to sleep in if you want it." He told her, at that Kathleen gave a small smile as she knew that Larrin had been surreptitiously pulling buttons and threads off his jacket to get him to leave her alone with Miller. Hell, she had managed to lift one of his ribbons from the jacket and given it to Kathleen leaving him to have a mini freak out as to where it could have fallen off.

"Larrin." Wolf said catching his sister's attention, he gave a tilt of his head indicating for them to leave.

"I'll catch up with you at the elevators." Larrin told him, he gave a sigh and nodded deciding it was best to pick his battles carefully and after tonight he trusted Miller more than ever before as the man had literally thrown himself on his sister to save her from being shot.

"Night Miller, see you for breakfast at 0800." Wolf told him.

"Done." Miller said he and Larrin watched as Wolf and Kathleen walked out of the bar area, Larrin snorted a laugh as Wolf told Kathleen she was lucky to be an only child.

She turned Miller as they lapsed into silence. Both not knowing what to say or how to proceed as tonight's events had shaken up all conceived ideas they had of the future. After a moment Miller spoke as he decided to just take a chance.

"Bar all the bad stuff that happened tonight. I had a really good time." Miller told her, Larrin smiled and blushed lightly.

"Yeah me too. Maybe we could do this again minus all the violence and my brother lurking in the background." Larrin said with a chuckle. Miller rubbed the back of his neck and laughed as well.

He felt like he'd just won the lottery by Larrin suggesting they meet up again as it meant it wasn't over between them yet.

"Definitely." he told her as he meant it.

"Good, I'm going to go before Wolf chucks a man-tanty." Larrin said, she rose from the lounge and Miller stood with her. She gave him another shy smile before she walked away.

But she only made it about five steps before she turned on her feet and raced back to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. She felt Miller's arms wrap around her and couldn't help but enjoy the strength in the before she pulled back completely from the hug she pressed a kiss to his cheek and stepped away.

"Thank you for tonight and I'll see you around." Larrin said pulled back and gave a shy smile. She turned on her feet and ran back out of the bar leaving Miller standing there by himself. A goofy smile played across his lips as he touched the side of his face.

Larrin bit the tip of her thumb with nervous energy and smiled as she looked over her shoulder to see Miller still watching her leave with a smile on his face. She made it to the elevator and saw Wolf and Kathleen waiting.

"You took your time." Wolf said as he punched the button for the elevator.

"I was just thanking him. He did save my life." Larrin said.

"Right, don't get gooey over him. He's Navy which means he'll always leave." Wolf warned her.

"Give me a break. I've only known him for less than twelve hours." Larrin said as the doors slid open. Wolf Held the door opened and waited for the ladies to walk in. Once they were in the elevator he stepped in gave Larrin a serious look.

"Uhuh, I know that face and it spells trouble." Wolf told her.

* * *

Tex sat in the plastic chair staring at the blood that had dried on his hands. He'd been sitting for hours waiting for news about Rachel and if she would make it. She had crashed twice on the way to the hospital in the ambulance and the way the paramedics were shouting at each other had made his gut twist painfully as it wasn't a good sign.

They had arrived at the hospital quickly and Tex of course moved out of the way and watched helplessly as they rolled Rachel down the hallway through the emergency doors that he couldn't pass through as it was access only for hospital personnel.

He stood at the doorway like a pathetic puppy waiting for his owner to come out for a long time until a nurse directed him to the waiting room. He obediently sat down on one of the chairs and waited, waited with nothing to do but think about what happened and grow angry about how lax they become in their protective measures in a such a short time. The blood on his hands was proof of that. He squeezed his hands into tight fists as anger and rage boiled through his veins.

"How is she?" Tom asked, Tex looked up from his hands to the Captain and couldn't help but feel a bitter resentment towards the man as Rachel had chosen that asshole over him, the same man that Tex respected as soldier but despised as a man for the way he treated Rachel and now he had the gall to race here hours after Rachel was shot and look like he gave a damn about Rachel.

"How is she? So now you care?" Tex asked him incredulously as he rose from his seat not bothering to hide his anger. He moved towards Tom and shoved him into the wall. "You fucking give her the cold shoulder for weeks after Baltimore, you treated her like she was dirt when she saved all our asses now she's dying in there and you act like you fucking care." Tex told him in a scathing tone.

Part of him wanted Tom to fight him just so he could hit someone. But the man just held his gaze and remained calm as he waved his sailors to stand down.

"I've always cared." Tom told him. Tex made a scoffing noise as he tried to understand how the man cared for Rachel when he spent weeks ignoring her existence and only acknowledging her when he needed someone to blame or to shout at.

"Yeah, just enough so you could blame all your actions on her. I heard you two fighting, how you told her she put blood on your hands. You made those decisions, anyone you killed was on you but if you're so keen for blood on your hands. Here." Tex said, he released his hold on Tom and spat on his hand where Rachel's blood had dried. Then swiped it over Tom's palm leaving wet brown streaks of Rachel's blood on Tom's hand.

"You can have hers." Tex told him, he turned and walked away. He walked away because he knew if he stayed he would do more than punch Tom's calm and self-assured pretty face into the wall. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was that he knew deep down that Rachel would hate him if he hurt the man.

* * *

"I'm going to crash next door in Green's room. So if you need me or anything at all just let me know" Wolf told the ladies.

"Ok, but before you go I could use a snack." Larrin told him, he looked at her incredulously as he couldn't believe she was hungry after everything that happened and what she'd consumed over the last few hours.

"Really? And what are you hankering for at this hour?" Wolf asked reminding himself that he needed to be kind to his sister and now they were together he had to watch out for her and apparently feed her.

"Caramel Milkshake and hot chips with ketchup." Larrin said with a dreamy face before her eyes lit up with another idea. "Oh and waffles too. With chocolate sauce." Larrin added.

"You're going to eat me out of pocket at this rate." Wolf told her, he looked to Kathleen. "You want anything?" he asked her.

"A milkshake sounds good." Kathleen said hesitantly.

"Flavour?" Wolf asked.

"Lime." Kathleen said shyly like she was pushing her luck just by jumping on the bandwagon. Wolf gave her a look as he was pretty sure it was not a flavour on offer. "Or Strawberry." Kathleen added quickly.

"Right, I'll be back." Wolf said as he knew room service wasn't on offer in the hotel yet as he'd ask about it before though it had been regards to breakfast not the black hole that had taken up residence in his sister's stomach. He picked up the room keycard and left the room.

"Are you really hungry?" Kathleen asked her.

"Not really, but I figure this free ride isn't going to last long so I'm going to enjoy it before it ends." Larrin said as she walked over to her brother's sea bag and opened it searching through his clothes to find something to sleep in as her clothes stank to the high heaven and she refused to sleep naked with her brother and Kathleen in the room.

"I thought I was the only one who felt like that." Kathleen confessed. Larrin looked over her shoulder to the young girl and recognised a fellow survivor. "Everyone here pretends like the pandemic never happened like did you see all that food and the fancy clothes everyone was wearing tonight?" she asked Larrin.

"I know." Larrin said as she pulled out a shirt and gave it a tentative sniff. "Do you have pyjamas?" Larrin asked her.

"I only have what's on my back." Kathleen told her.

"Here, Wolf won't mind." Larrin said as she tossed the clean t-shirt towards the girl before she continued to rummage through the bag, Wolf was going to be pissed about her not asking permission and invading his bag but she couldn't break out of her scavenging ways and frankly she was too embarrassed to remind him of how little she owned. "I'm the same, I spent months running and hiding from the world. It was just easier to carry what was on my back than drag around a bag. Walked from Colorado to here." Larrin said sharing part of her life story to help Kathleen feel more comfortable.

"You walked?" Kathleen asked in disbelief.

"I managed to hijack a few abandoned cars but the roads were fairly jammed up and it was easier to run from the Scavengers." Larrin said in a conversational manner even though the memories of those months were traumatic and lonely. She knew she should shut up, it was not appropriate to talk about with someone as young as Kathleen.

"Scavengers killed my Mom." Kathleen said in a quiet voice, she looked down at the t-shirt Larrin had given her and fiddled with the fabric. Larrin turned to her and gave her a look of empathy as she moved to Kathleen's bed and sat down.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Larrin said as she reached out and gave Kathleen's hand a gentle squeeze.

"Me too, but I got my Dad back." Kathleen said as she pointed out the silver lining of a very bleak looking cloud.

"He's pretty awesome." Larrin said with a smile.

"When he's around." Kathleen added glumly.

"He'll be back at breakfast which is when we'll gorge ourselves and make him pay." Larrin told her, Kathleen smiled at that and gave nod, her mood instantly lifted.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

"Hey, you ready for some grub?" Wolf asked Miller as he met him in the lobby. He could already smell the breakfast buffet and really wanted to eat and get over to the hospital to spell the others.

"Yep, I'm ready when you are." Miller said, Wolf wore a smile as he could tell the man was looking around for Larrin. He had to admit it was adorable to see Miller infatuated with a woman even if it was his sister.

"She's still sleeping off all the feast she ate last night, Buddy." Wolf told Miller with a chuckle. He was amazed Larrin hadn't ended up vomiting from the amount of food and drinks she had consumed. But he did know when he checked in on her and Kathleen this morning both were still sound asleep. He didn't have the heart to wake them, so he quietly closed the door behind him and left them to sleep.

"I wasn-" Miller started, a blush gracing his cheeks as he was caught but Wolf stopped him as he just too soft hearted to make Miller stammer and be embarrassed for being so obvious about Larrin.

"Don't bother. I'm not that stupid. I know you're keen on my sister but you should know that she's going places and I don't want you or anyone getting in the way of her potential." Wolf told him, he liked Miller a lot and trusted him to do right by his sister but he felt the need to be clear about what he wanted for Larrin.

"I wouldn't stop her from doing anything she wanted." Miller said, his eyes went wide as he realised the insinuations that could be taken away from what he said. "I mean as long as it's all legal of course." he added trying to cover his bases as he really didn't want to get on Wolf's bad side.

Wolf just chuckled and clapped him on the back as he really liked how easily flustered Miller was. It was reassuring as he honestly preferred Miller over the last guy Larrin had been interested in. Now that guy had been one slimy douche bag.

"Just treat her well and don't come to me for sex advice. Cause I don't want to know." Wolf told him, he couldn't help but laugh as Miller's face went beet red.

* * *

The first thing Rachel heard was the slow and steady beep of a vitals monitor. She took in a slow breath as her body felt like it was made of soft fluffy clouds, it felt really good but when she tried to take a deeper breath a tight pull in her chest stopped her. She frowned at the sensation as it wasn't very nice.

She opened her eyes slowly and after a few moments of blinding light and blurry vision everything came into view. She was lying in an hospital bed in a private room surrounded by flowers which made sense given she'd been shot. Her mind snapped at the memory of that but whatever drugs that pouring through her IV didn't let her dwell too long as she felt a warm hand stroke the side of her face making her close her eyes in pleasure. She melted in it as it had been so long since someone had touched her with such familiarity. She automatically thought of Tom as she remembered his invitation to find him.

"Hey,"

Rachel frowned slightly as that didn't sound like Tom's voice but Tex's. She opened her eyes and saw him smiling down at him and even if he wasn't Tom, she smiled up at him as he was such a good friend to her as he always made her feel better when she was at her lowest.

"Tex." She said back, her voice sounded slightly rough to her ears as her throat was a little scratchy. He smile turned a grin.

"It's good to see you awake." he said as he took her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze reminding her of how he'd been there right after she'd been shot and stayed with her as she'd been packed up into the ambulance.

"You stayed." Rachel said warmly as he'd kept his word.

"I told you I'd be with all the way." he told her in a low voice, he moved back from her but kept his grip on her hand as a woman wearing a doctor's coat and scrubs moved into her line of vision.

"I'm Dr Clarke, how are you feeling?" Dr Clarke asked Rachel, she spoke with a odd accent that Rachel couldn't place. Rachel couldn't help but be slightly distracted by how beautiful the woman's eyes were as they were a brilliant grass green colour that stood out with her tanned complexion and dark hair.

"Very high." Rachel replied which earned her a chuckle from the Doctor and Tex.

"We might have turn down the Morphine drip a tad." Dr Clarke said with a smile as she checked Rachel over going through the routine of looking at her vitals read out and checking her pupils before asking questions to judge Rachel's memory. She went over what Rachel's injuries were and what she had done and the prognosis. All that was completely lost on Rachel's foggy brain but given the woman looked cheerful it meant everything had to ok.

"Well, everything looks in order. So for now, just take it easy and rest." the doctor told her as she moved to the end of the bed and pulled a pen out of her lab coat jacket.

"Ok, when can I get out?" Rachel asked, Dr Clarke smiled in amusement as she picked up Rachel's chart and wrote some notes in it.

"Not for a few days. You just had surgery. So just take it easy and I'll be by to check on you in a few hours." she told her, Rachel watched as the woman walk away and saw Tom walk into the room. She couldn't help but light up at the sight of him as he came in with a vase of flowers. He stopped a couple steps in and looked to her and then Tex for a moment before he gave her a strained smile.

"Hey," he said to her. He looked tired as he was dressed in his usual outfit of BDUs and boots, not a wrinkle in sight but he had a tired expression and dark circles under his eyes.

"Hey," she replied softly. Tex cleared his throat and Rachel felt slightly embarrassed for openly ogling Tom and ignoring Tex who still held her hand.

"I'll leave you two." Tex said politely trying to bow out of the room as he knew that now Tom was here Rachel would want him over Tex. It was easy to tell by the way her eyes lit up when he was around. He was just the friend and he had learned to accept that it was enough.

"You don't have to." Rachel said as she felt like she was missing something but couldn't figure out what. She also didn't want him to leave just because Tom was here. she knew it was selfish but Tex's presence was a comfort that she didn't want to lose just yet.

"I kind of do." he said with a smile. "I need to go check in with Kathleen and make sure Wolf's sister hasn't corrupted her." Tex joked, Rachel frowned at his joke as the drugs were muddling with her sense of humour.

"I thought she was a lovely young woman. Very bright." Rachel said defending the woman as she felt like she were looking at a younger version of herself when she spoke to Larrin.

"I know, just teasing. I'll be back later, if you want." Tex said letting her have the choice of his company instead of forcing it on her.

"Of course I want you to come back." Rachel said as she wondered why he would even think she wouldn't want to see him. Tex smiled at her words and Rachel basked in it as he's good moods were always so contagious.

"Ok, then I'll be back later." Tex said, he pressed a kiss to the back of her that he was holding before he let her go and walked out of the room. She didn't miss Tom stepping out of the way as Tex exited nor how the room suddenly seemed to grow a little cold with Tex's absence.

Rachel looked to Tom and watched as he moved to the end of the bed looking stiff and formal he held up a vase of Kale flowers.

"I must look really bad." Rachel joked weakly as Tom just stared at her with a neutral expression. The joke seemed to crack a small smile but it was a strained smile. She didn't know why but she had imagined he'd race to her bedside and take her hand.

"You look alright for someone who's been shot." he told her, he held up the vase. "I didn't want to come empty handed. But didn't know if you were allergic to flowers." Tom said awkwardly as he'd picked the most hypoallergenic flowers not that it mattered given she was already surrounded by a florist shop of flowers.

"I'm not but thank you for gesture. It's very thoughtful." Rachel said, she loved kale flowers as they were structurally beautiful to look at from the way the petals curled into a flower and the petals themselves as the pattern of veins and colours. They were also hardier as they lasted longer in the vase not too mention they could be eaten even though they were incredibly bitter in comparison to the leaves.

She watched as Tom placed the vase on one of the tables with the other arrangements before he moved back to the end of the bed. Part of her ached for him to show her the warmth he had last night.

"I just wanted to come by and let you know that we caught the man who shot you. He's a immune soldier. We're still trying to figure out how he got into the hotel and if he's alone but you're safe. You'll have two guards at your door at all times and we've vetted the hospital staff." Tom informed her.

"you couldn't wait to put a guard on me again could you?" Rachel teased as she'd been shadowed since she killed Neils only to have her freedom taken from her again but this time by the immunes.

"It's for your safety." Tom said missing the joke entirely. He didn't think anything about this was amusing as Rachel getting shot had been an eye opener and made him realise how lapse he'd been with the security at the hotel and with that of his family. He just assumed they were all safe but now he knew better. They were all targets and by extension their families as well. It was why he was working tirelessly to organize housing and transport for his family as he didn't want his father and kids living in a ghost town with little security. He needed them safe and to focus on reconnecting with them which meant that he had to deny his wants and focus on them and looking after the crew and helping them reintegrate into society while the ship was in dry dock being repaired.

"Is everything ok?" Rachel asked him as she didn't understand why he was distancing himself from her.

"Yeah, look I need to get back to work." he told her.

"Ok." Rachel said, Tom gave a nod and left the room leaving Rachel feeling a little heartsick by his abrupt exit.

* * *

"You look terrible." Kara said to Larrin as the woman sat back in her chair looking pale and tired. She hoped it wasn't the food as the three of them had really enjoyed the breakfast buffet to the point that Kara felt like she should be classified as heifer instead of human.

But she couldn't help but overindulge as she was officially on maternity leave and no longer on restricted food limits which applied to every sailor on the ship so everyone got their share. So it'd been hard for her given her pregnancy made her hungry all the time and even though Danny shared some of his food with her. It was nice to finally eat as much as she wanted without worrying about it.

"I've forgotten how to sleep on a mattress. It was like rolling around on a marshmallow" Larrin told her as she sat back and rubbed the back of her neck. She had tossed and turned for a few hours before exhaustion took over and made her sleep but all in all she'd guess she had about four hours of sleep. Definitely not enough.

"How did you sleep?" Kara asked Kathleen.

"Good," Kathleen said with a smile, she was still a little shy around Kara and Larrin but she was slowly coming out of her shell. Kara had a feeling the girl was overwhelmed the same way Larrin was about being in St Louis where everything seemed rather too good to be true. So she was treading carefully to save herself when things went south.

"She snores." Larrin commented as she took a sip of coffee.

"I do not." Kathleen said defensively though she had no idea if she snored or not. But then she saw the smile on Larrin's face and knew the woman was joking which was a relief.

"So do. Bet you get it from your father." Larrin commented with a smile as she looked over Kathleen's shoulder.

"What's this?" Tex asked as he came to the table.

"Dad!" Kathleen said, her eyes lighting up as she saw him. She hated how part of her always expected him to leave and come back. She was so used to him leaving it was hard to expect him to stay and yet after all the times he left, she was still not immune to feeling of being abandoned.

"Hey, sorry I got pulled away." Tex said as he sat down at the table next Kathleen, she couldn't help but beam at the fact that he always kept his word.

"How's Dr Scott?" Larrin asked from across the table.

"Out of the woods and in recovery. What's with all the empty plates?" Tex asked as there was about 8 plates on the table. The girls had decided it was easier to pile up 5 plates; each with one different kind of food that they placed in the centre of the table and then shared from there onto their own plates. It had been fun.

"You're paying for breakfast right?" Kara asked Tex with an expecting look before Larrin got a chance. Tex smiled wryly as he could see Kara was joking but decided to be a gentleman given the women had helped look after Kathleen in his absence.

"I guess I am, did you three leave anything left for the rest of the crew to eat?" Tex asked teasingly as he slung an arm over the back of Kathleen's chair and sat back.

"No, they all had to find another restaurant." Larrin deadpanned.

"Most of them were up and gone early. We have three days to sort out long term accomodation and travel arrangements before this hotel gives us the boot for actual paying guests." Kara said.

"I see you're in no rush." Tex said. "You going home to Norfolk?" he asked.

"I want to but there aren't any planes going home and I have to speak with Danny. But I've already put in a request form for housing here. I'm told I'll know by the end of the day." Kara told him.

"We should probably talk about what we're going to do." Tex said to Kathleen. His daughter smiled as she liked how he said 'we' as it meant they'd be a family together. He looked to Larrin. "And what's your plans?"

"I'm playing it by ear at the moment. Why? You offering me the lounge?" Larrin asked him.

"I don't have a couch yet but sure, you're welcome to it." Tex told her as he knew Miller would be going out to find his mother and while he didn't know what Wolf's plans were, he'd figure the man would want to set Larrin up and follow Miller given the two were a team.

Since Claire was gone Tex felt he needed to step up and be the full time parent to Kathleen which meant giving his daughter a home and stability. Something he didn't mind extending the invitation to Larrin as Wolf was family and by extension that made Larrin family as well.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

* * *

"So you still going up to Iowa?" Wolf asked as he and Miller were stationed outside of Dr Scott's room. They'd been standing outside the room for over a couple hours. In which they had been a companionable silence for until Wolf spoke up. He'd been mulling in his thoughts about Larrin, Miller and his duties not just as a Naval officer but as a brother and friend to two people he cared about.

"Yeah but all transport has been grounded for the moment. So I'm stuck until I can sort some wheels out." Miller said, he'd already looked into it before he and Wolf went to breakfast.

"I'd like to go with you." Wolf said to him.

"But what about Larrin?" Miller asked, he thought it was bad he was leaving but he didn't want to take Wolf from his sister after they just reunited.

If he were honest he hadn't wanted to go alone but had been to afraid of how it would look if he asked someone to go with him. He wanted to show he was just and strong and gruff as the rest of the men. To ask his friends to join felt like it would be misconstrued as him needing someone to 'hold his hand'.

"She'll understand. I just need to get her somewhere to live and access to my pay so she can get food and proper boots. Anyway, someone's gotta have your back and I want to go." Wolf told him. Miller gave a closed lip smile grateful that Wolf would go with him.

"Ok, cool." Miller said playing it cool even though it meant a lot.

* * *

"Wow" Danny said as there was truly no other words one could say as he and Kara stepped two feet into their new home that had been given to them.

"Yeah." Kara said a little stunned and it was not a good stunned either as they got a 4 bedroom home like she requested but it looked like the house hadn't been renovated since the 1970s. In fact it looked like everything that was ugly about the 70s had been violently vomited throughout the interior of the house. Or so Kara dreaded as she couldn't get past the front door.

Hideously brown and cream patterned wallpaper and shag pile carpet of a horrible fluoro orange colour ran through the front hallway. There were creepy lizard statues stuck to the wall like they were climbing the walls. That was just the hallway; Kara wasn't sure she was ready to progress further into the house just based on how repulsive the interior designing was so far.

"We can renovate it right? You didn't sign anything about keeping the house as is?" Danny asked trying to find the silver lining of the cloud. It looked so beautiful from the exterior, the house from outside looked like it had been built in the 1900s and Kara had loved it but seeing the insides made her want to run back and demand for a new house.

"It's 100% ours to do what we want. We could set it on fire." Kara said, she had to admit it setting the house on fire sounded like a pretty good plan to her even though they wouldn't do that.

"At least it looks clean , just got a little dust." Danny remarked ignoring her comment about setting a fire.

"Yeah." Kara said her eyes still wide in shock. She knew better than to expect a beautiful home but she had hoped for something just a step above what they had.

Danny looked to the woman he was going to marry and saw how crestfallen and shocked she was by the state of the house even though they hadn't made it past the front door. He had hoped to propose to her in their new home but right now it didn't feel like a special time. He had planned to do it last night but then the immune had popped up ruining his moment. The ring was burning a hole in pocket and he didn't want the memory of their proposal to include creepy wall lizards.

"I can't have a baby here." Kara said as she couldn't bring herself to step into the house. Hell even Halsey wouldn't enter the house when Danny directed him too which to her was a bad omen. Danny turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile.

"How about you go back to the hotel and have a long soak. We have the rooms for three days." Danny said as he rubbed her arms in a soothing manner.

"What are you going to do?" Kara asked him as she didn't want to leave him to brave it alone but her emotions were getting the better of her as she just wanted to cry.

"I'm going to check it out and make sure there's no nasties around that might hurt you and the baby. Clean up the dust." Danny said. He figured whatever weirdo lived here might have a reptilian fetish and he wanted to make sure there weren't any snakes or other creepy crawlies. He was also mentally adding up all the other things he needed to check that he'd enlist help to strip out as much as the carpeting and wallpaper so he could sleep at night with

"Ok." Kara said, she patted his arm and turned on her feet and left the house, she barely made it down the path when she saw Tex come out of the house next door and wave at them.

"Hey Neighbour." Tex said with a smile.

"Hey, you got the house next door?" Danny asked him as he followed Kara down the steps with Halsey at his side.

"Yep," Tex said to them as he leaned on the railing of the front porch or so they assumed as the front lawn of Tex's place was just as overgrown as theirs. It basically looked like his head was poking out of the bushes.

"That was quick." Kara remarked as she had to follow up with the housing department twice just to get their house. Yet Tex looked like he was all settled in at his place.

"Well, when I told them that I was housing six people who wouldn't be bothering the housing department for a place they just handed the keys over." Tex told her.

"More like the lady that he talked to swooned from his Southern charm." Larrin said her head popped out of the same bushes and smiled at them.

"I'm from Reno but I'll forgive you given you're Australian." Tex told her in a light teasing manner.

"Gee thanks." Larrin said making a face like she didn't know why she should be upset about it. She looked to Kara and Danny with an excited smile as she loved that she had a bedroom and was surrounded by people she felt safe with. It was something that felt rare and precious to her. "So how does your place?" Larrin asked them as she was over the moon about having Kara as a neighbour. She really liked the woman.

"Ah, it's got charm." Kara said lamely as she didn't have the words to describe it and knew if she tried she'd cry because the house needed a lot of work if it was anything like the hallway and their baby would grow up in shag pile carpets and lizards statues staring at him or her. She felt Danny's hands on her shoulders as he gave her a gentle squeeze to comfort her.

"But it needs some work." Danny said to them.

"You look like there are dead bodies over there." Tex joked.

"It's interior needs gutting." Danny said.

"How bad? You want me to take a look?" Tex asked with a frown as Danny and Kara were very capable people but they looked a little shell shocked. He actually felt for them as Kara was 15 weeks along and he knew pregnant women liked to nest before the baby came.

"Yeah, later though. What's your place like?" Danny said accepting his help, he'd need everyone he could get as he wasn't going to let Kara do anything but pick paint colours and furniture.

"Pretty sweet. Come over and see for yourself." Tex said waving them over. Danny and Kara didn't waste a second in leaving their new home to check out Tex's. Walking up the driveway they could see it looked the same as theirs. The garden and front lawn were overgrown and the style of house was identical.

But once they stepped inside they noticed a huge difference, the interior of Tex's home looked like it belonged on the cover of 'House and Garden'. There was no dingy hallway, no shag carpets or creepy lizards statues crawling the walls. the bottom floor was open plan living as there were no walls except for the back area where there was a ground bathroom. a sun room and stairs up to the second floor. Bare wooden and stone pillars held the second floor in it's place but it didn't detract from the space. The space was light and airy as the walls were painted in cream with white accents. Natural light filtered through the windows and a couple of well placed skylights. It had polished wooden floors and the décor was French provincial meet hipster as the lounges were plush and brightly coloured, with patterned cushions to off set the wooden features and cream walls.

"We had to clean it up a little and I'll need a machete for the garden but it'll do." Tex said in a nonchalant manner like it was just normal to have a house this fabulous.

It was like walking into an expensive home magazine and Kara just wanted to cry as it was perfect. She looked to Danny and could see that he was just as shocked by the contrast. She didn't want to say it out loud but she wanted this house.

"You want to trade?" Kara asked Tex in a hopeful tone. Tex gave a laugh and shook his head.

"Not really, this place is what I need. It's 5 bedrooms and a granny flat out back. But you guys are welcome to the granny flat or a room in the house until your place is up to scratch. Hell, I'll help you fix up your place, I'm pretty handy with a hammer. Think of it as baby shower slash housewarming gift from the Nolans." Tex told them with a smile.

He had a feeling he was going to helping out a lot but he liked to pay things forward and when he and Claire had been newly married and Kathleen on the way; their friends and family had helped them out. Plus he'd need something to keep him busy so he wasn't in Kathleen's hair. He knew his daughter had an independent streak, something she got from him, so he knew better than to just get in her space all the time.

"You haven't seen the place yet." Danny told him in a warning tone.

"It can't be that bad." Tex said to them.

"It is." Kara told him.

* * *

Rachel laid in the bed listlessly with no visitors and nothing to do but think as her pleasant high from earlier was gone. She wasn't in pain but she was more coherent and aware of situation. She felt cold even under all the blankets Part of her wanted to remove the tube from her chest that was helping her breathe by draining the fluid only because it felt so unnatural to have something stuck into her body, it wasn't the only thing that made her uncomfortable but until she had more strength she was stuck lying in bed looking to the ceiling counting the hours until they released her.

She looked to the Kale flowers and thought of Tom and the 180 he pulled on from being flirty last night to going back to the aloof Captain. She wondered what she had done wrong, had she said something, but as much as she racked her brain she couldn't figure it out. She heard a soft knock and looked to the door and gave a soft smile.

"You're back." Rachel said to Tex, glad he was back as she didn't want to be alone with her thoughts any longer.

"Said I'd be and I brought you something." Tex said with a smile as he held up a backpack. He moved to the side of her bed and pulled up a chair. He sat down and opened the bag.

"My cardigan" she smiled as Tex pulled her favourite thick grey cardigan out the bag. He draped it over her upper body before he pulled the next item out of the bag. It however perplexed her. "Socks." she said.

"First thing I thought about when the morphine was fading was how cold my feet were." Tex said as he moved to the end of the bed. She couldn't argue as she was under three blankets and still cold. "May I?" he asked.

"Please." Rachel as she couldn't help but smile as it felt like a role reversal given she had taken care of him during the trial phase of the vaccine and now he was taking care of her.

She knew it was bad but as Tex slipped the first sock on her foot she was a little wistful that it wasn't Tom as it was probably the closest she would ever feel to being Cinderella. Last night she had the dress and now a handsome man was slipping socks onto her feet. He might not be Tom but Tex was definitely handsome in his own right and she couldn't help but feel touched by his thoughtfulness.

"Thank you." Rachel told him.

"You're welcome, how do those feet feel now?" Tex asked as he retook his chair.

"Better, so how's your daughter?" Rachel asked him, as she didn't want to talk about herself. She had been introspective for the past few hours when she wasn't asleep and would rather hear about his news.

"She's ok, though I'll be honest. I have no clue what I'm supposed to do to help her and be in her life. Besides being present, putting food on the table and putting a roof over her head." Tex said in a self deprecating manner.

"You'll figure it out." Rachel assured him as she didn't know all the details about his relationship with his daughter only that he felt responsible for any rift was between him and Kathleen but she knew he would fix it.

"Mhm hopefully." Tex said as he really didn't have a clue what he was doing.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

"You wanna go look? I'm told that they have carpet on the ceilings." Larrin said to Miller as they two were sitting at the table with everyone else.

Miller and Wolf had drop by the house after they had been relieved from their post by the next shift. After a quick tour of the house they'd all sat down at the dining table to share a couple beers and an afternoon snack while Kathleen and Tex cooked dinner. It was more like Kathleen teaching Tex on how to cook as the man was hopeless and already burnt water.

Kara, Larrin, Danny, Miller and Wolf sat at the table watching in amusement before breaking into their own conversations. Danny was telling Wolf all about his and Kara's place as he'd done a walk through with Tex. It was much worse than he had expected and would require a lot of work.

"Now?" Miller asked Larrin as she had turned to him and asked if he wanted to go check it out. He couldn't help but smile as Larrin made Kara and Danny's horror show of house sound like an adventure to see by how excited she looked when she suggested they go.

"Yeah, unless you don't want to see the shag pile room or the dead fish aquarium shower screen." Larrin said to him.

"The plushy dog pouf sounds like a sight to behold." Wolf said, he hadn't seen the interior of Danny and Kara's home but he had a feeling he could live without knowing until it was daylight.

"You can have it if you want." Kara said, she hadn't ventured into the house but from what she heard, she had automatically decided to let Danny deal with it. They'd already discussed it when they took over the Granny flat in the backyard; which was small but perfectly fine with her as their place needed to be gutted and all of the carpet in it's various forms removed as Kara wanted hardwood floors. She just hoped under the all the crap the house had good bones as she and Danny weren't made of money or a lot of time.

"You don't want to save it for the kid's room?" Wolf asked her in a mocking manner.

"I would not deny you this one thing." Kara deadpanned, they all chuckled as they could tell Kara was happy to divest as much of the interior as possible.

"So?" Larrin asked Miller, she was pretty eager to check out Kara and Danny's shop of horrors' house but didn't want to go alone. It was also a perfect excuse to get Miller alone as she knew her brother wasn't moving now he had a beer in his hand and was relaxed back in his chair at the dining table.

"Ok. As long as the Lieutenants' don't mind." Miller said looking to Kara and Danny. He half expected Wolf to say he was tagging along but he just remained quiet.

"Knock yourself out." Danny said throwing the house keys at Miller. Larrin smiled and jumped out of her chair and moved to the door as Miller followed like a faithful puppy.

"Be back before dinner." Tex hollered at them as they left the house. Danny and Wolf wore bemused smiles as Tex sounded every bit the father. "What?" he asked them.

"Nothing." Wolf said.

"So you're ok with that?" Danny asked as he gestured the neck of his beer bottle in the direction of Miller and Larrin who were walking across the lawn.

"Yeah, Miller's a good egg." Wolf said.

* * *

"You want me to go first?" Miller asked as the hallway lights flickered on to reveal the creepiest hallway he'd ever seen. He wasn't sure if it was the poor fluorescent lighting or the decor as the lizard statues that were stuck on the walls seemed to stare at them with red little eyes.

"Yes," Larrin told him with an emphatic nod as she moved behind him. "That way I can use you as a human shield." she added.

"Ok." Miller said with a chuckle though part of wished he had brought a weapon with him. Something about the house gave off the vibe that maybe zombies or a serial killer was going to jump out and attack them. He took a tentative step inside and couldn't help but understand why Kara wanted to burn it down. The feel of shag pile under his boots and being watched by statues was just wrong. He looked over his shoulder at Larrin and found she was still at the door.

"You coming?" he asked. Larrin gave a small smile and a nod before she closed the gap between them until she was right behind him. Miller felt his heart beat a little quicker as he felt her hands grip the back of his BDU shirt at the back. "You want to hold my hand?" he asked in a bemused manner as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"No, how am I supposed to throw you to bad guys if you're holding onto me?" she asked in a teasing manner.

"Suit yourself." he said as he didn't mind either way.

* * *

"I can do this." Tex assured Kathleen with a smile.

"I don't know, I didn't think it was possible to burn water but you proved me wrong." Kathleen said to her father as they were chopping vegetables on the cutting board together. "Smaller pieces otherwise we'll be waiting hours to eat." She advised him.

Tex gave her a salute before he continued chopping. Yeah, he was hopeless in the kitchen but when he was put in front of a BBQ or open fire he could cook like a pro. But he wasn't willing to give up the kitchen to his daughter as he liked her pestering him, it just showed him how much of Claire still lived on Kathleen.

"Yeah, I can tell you now if you don't feed Larrin on time she'll probably eat one of us." Wolf joked as Miller and Larrin had been gone for nearly 15 minutes.

"I guess we'll know what happened to Miller if he doesn't show up for dinner." Tex joked to Wolf.

"And if they both don't show up then it means the house ate them because it's possessed by evil lizard statues." Kara said as she was in the midst of making a salad to go with the dinner as she had gotten bored at the table.

"You're being a little over dramatic." Danny told her with a chuckle.

"Yeah, they are probably having S-E-X." Tex stated.

"I can spell Dad." Kathleen told him dryly.

"Oops, pretend you didn't hear that until you're 40." Tex told her with a smile. Kathleen just rolled her eyes at him but inwardly enjoyed the humour of it.

* * *

Rachel stirred awake as her bed hit a bump. She immediately frowned as she was pretty sure her bed was supposed to be stationary. She opened her eyes and found she was no longer in her room but in the back of an ambulance.

"Take it easy," a old man in great physical shape with a Texan accent and impressive moustache drawled at the driver.

"Doing my best but these roads are in bad shape." The driver commented back at him, her accent sounded like she were from the east coast up north but Rachel couldn't much more as another jolt sent pain through her body. She gave a groan the man beside her noticed.

"Well, hello there." he said with a friendly enough smile for a perfect stranger. Panic gripped Rachel as she wondered if she had been kidnapped.

"Who are you?" Rachel demanded as he didn't look like a paramedic or Doctor. The man held out his hands in surrender as if to show she was safe.

"I'm Emmerson Whitley, US Marshal Ma'am." he told her.

"US Marshal?" She asked confused as to what was going on. Why would the US Marshals kidnap her.

"Threats have been made against your life so we're taking you somewhere you'll be safe." He told her as if reading her mind but not to the extent that he could defend himself.

"Safe?" She asked, tears filled her eyes but she blinked them back as she felt anything but safe.

"Yeah." he told her.

"Take me back." Rachel told him in her strictest tone. His lips quirked sympathetically like he'd had this kind of conversation before and shook his head.

"Look, I'm sorry but Chandler made the call. He wanted you kept safe from the Immunes so we're taking you somewhere safe until the country has stabilised and the Immune threat has been neutralised." Emmerson told her.

"Tom did this?" Rachel asked in disbelief, she didn't know why but she felt betrayed and angry that he would make such a huge decision about her life without even running it by her.

"Everything will be fine, but we're going to be on the road for a bit. So you best just take it easy." he told her.

"But I don't even know you." Rachel bit out.

"Here." he said, he handed her a letter. She reached for it with shaky hands as she immediately recognised Tom's handwriting.

 _Dear Rachel,_

 _I hope you can forgive me..._

* * *

"I don't know, I think I like the lounge room the best so far. Though the fairy floss pink shag pile on the ceiling with the chandelier is creepy. But a floor that's just cushioned amazing. All you have to do is put the TV on the ceiling. Instant cinema." Larrin said she waved her hands in front of her like she was painting a picture.

"Yeah, I'm not sold." Miller said to her as he felt increasingly more confident and comfortable in Larrin's presence. They had made their way slowly through the house pointing out the worst features and making jokes. Laughing, it felt great to feel so free after the last tense weeks.

"Well, you don't have to live here." Larrin said as she playfully bumped her shoulder into his. Miller smiled at her before he focused on where he was walking instead of staring at Larrin. "You know you never told me where you lived in Iowa." Larrin said as she moved up the stairs before him. She turned and faced him with a coy smile.

"My Mom's family owns a book store." he told her.

"Like Barnes and Noble bookstore or one of those secondhand bookshops where it looks like an old library and has old fashioned wing chairs and ladders with piles of books everywhere?" Larrin asked with keen interest as she wanted to know what made Miller tick.

She knew he liked her but he didn't overly flirt with her. It was kind of like he didn't know how or maybe she was just not used to being treated like a woman with a mind that his flirting was too subtle for her to detect but she loved that she could talk to him like their friends. She liked that she didn't have the uncomfortable tight knot in her stomach that came when she knew she was going to be kissed too soon in the relationship.

She didn't know why but she had a feeling that if Miller was going to kiss her he'd actually ask her first. Something that for some reason she found incredibly hot and then made her wonder what it would be like to be kissed by him. She mentally pushed the thought away as she felt she was getting ahead of herself given they hadn't even had a date and he had yet to go and find his mother which she understood was more important at the moment. Frankly she wanted him to go and find his mother, as she wanted him to know for sure either way if the woman was alive or dead as it was better than living in the limbo she was in.

"More like a secondhand bookshop though it has new books as well. It was a great place to grow up. My Mom would read to me every night when I was a kid and she'd do this thing every Wednesday night." Miller said with a smile that lit up his smile even if his eyes were a little wistful.

"What?" Larrin asked him curiously as she liked him talking about his life.

"We had this globe of the world, huge thing that sat in the corner. Every Thursday she spin it real fast and say 'Where we having dinner tomorrow?'. I'd stop the globe with my finger and she'd look down with this big ol' smile. 'Looks like we're having Dinner with Mongolian traders in the Gobi desert' or 'Tonight we walk the streets of Paris'. She'd find a book with pictures of wherever my finger ended up on that globe and the next night we'd sit down with the book open to a picture of that location and eat the French style food if we were in France. Mongolian Lamb-"

"In the Gobi desert." Larrin finished with a smile as she could just picture Miller as a kid sitting at dinner table dressed up as if he were going on adventure through a book.

"Yeah," Miller said, feeling a little sad as he missed those days and because he'd been using his Navy pay to buy his mother a round the world ticket. So she could see some of the places they had pretended to be. "We didn't have a lot money to travel anywhere so we travelled with books." he told her.

"I think that is awesome." Larrin told him sincerely.

"I never told anyone that before." he confessed but then he knew how the guys would react. They'd come up with some stupid nickname and just bag him out for being a Momma's boy. So he'd kept it to himself as he didn't want his memories to be tarnished like that. But he liked that he could share it with Larrin and that she genuinely thought it was cool.

"Thank you for telling me." Larrin said holding out her hand to him. He smiled as he took her hand in his. He liked the innocence and trust in the gesture. "Now let's see if we can find this dog pouf, cause I feel we need to give it to my brother for his birthday which is in a couple of weeks." Larrin told him with a smile.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

"So, Miller and I will be heading up to Iowa once we can get transport." Wolf said to Danny as he wanted to keep the man in the loop, even if he hadn't told Larrin yet but he would once he had more details. He also knew she would understand and luckily she had Tex and Kara to lean on in his absence so he didn't have to worry about her too much.

"Just the two of you?" Danny asked him.

"If you didn't have a house to renovate I'd ask your missus if I could borrow you. But yeah, we were going to see if anyone else was interested in heading North." Wolf said speaking for Miller and himself. He idly wondered what Larrin and Miller were up to at the moment but decided it was best to keep his nose out of their business.

"Alisha is." Kara said, Danny looked to her as it was the first he was hearing about it.

"Really?" He asked her, Kara gave a nod.

"She wants to look for Sarah. She was last in Wisconsin." Kara said as if it was common news. But it wasn't to Danny or Wolf but then they didn't have the kind of friendship with Alisha as Kara did being her bunk mate.

"Cruz's family is in Louisiana. So he'd be heading South in the next few days." Danny said which opened the conversation up as he, Kara, Tex and Wolf starting naming people who came from the North and if they'd be interested in going up there in their R&R. It seemed the larger the party the more likely they'd be given permission as well as anything they needed.

"You should think about going." Kara said to him as Danny's family lived in Connecticut. Danny made a face and shook his head.

"My Family is too far North. It could take weeks for me to get there to find them gone." Danny said, taking a negative spin even though Connecticut was just as far north as Wisconsin.

"Or you could go as far as Iowa and be able to make radio contact with someone in the area. I overheard that Dr Milowsky is taking Dr Scott's place on the team being sent to Denver. But the Captain is sending him with a team of SEALs from Norfolk that are coming in tonight." Kara told him.

"Gee, it would have been great if he rolled that one past us." Danny grumbled as he felt like he'd been downgraded to the B-team. Not that he wanted to go follow Milowsky around the country side but he would have liked to be kept in the loop.

"We're not on the ship anymore and he's being promoted to Admiral and is probably Chief of Naval operations." Kara said.

"So it's back to old ways now." Tex said in a sage manner.

"He probably is just letting the crew finally have some R&R. You'll all could be called in tomorrow to hear about it." Kara said trying to downplay it as she could see Danny was taking it hard. When they were all on the ship they felt like they were important and their roles mattered but now in St Louis it was like they were back to being cogs in a very large machine again.

"I wonder if that means Larrin is going with Milowsky." Wolf said, he didn't like the idea of his sister working with Milowsky as the man had no loyalties. Sure, he had been made to investigate Neils' death on the ship but there was something about the guy that just rubbed Wolf the wrong way.

"Why would she?" Danny asked confused as he hadn't heard anything about Larrin getting a job.

"Dr Scott offered her a job as an assistant on the same trip." Wolf told him.

"I doubt she'll go. Larrin wants to work with Dr Scott." Kara assured him as she could see he was uneasy at the prospect of Larrin being outside of the bubble that was St Louis.

* * *

"Dude, check out the shower screen. This is awesome." Larrin said as she looked at the shower screen that looked like an aquarium had been vacuumed sealed into a wall.

The bathroom seemed to gel in with the rest of the bad decor the walls were covered in teal and yellow pattern wall paper that was bubbling and peeling, the floor was covered in pink hexagonal tiles and the vanity in the room was hot pink. The tap spouts were of fish with their mouths open so Miller could only assume when turned on it looked like the fish were vomiting water into the sink.

"I swear whoever decorated this house was high as kite or really mental." Larrin said as she stepped into the shower area poking the fish in shower screen. Miller really liked her childlike enthusiasm as every room and how in every room she could find something to like yet would proclaim she was glad not to be living there. It was adorable.

"Yet you want the shower screen."

"It's kitschy and unusual though the shower head leaves a lot to be desired though" Larrin said as she pointed to the said shower head that was just like the taps but a larger fish with it's mouth yawning open. "In fact it's a little creepy. Let's continue on." Larrin added as she moved out of the shower space.

* * *

"Wolf, we found Kara and Danny's housewarming gift for you." Larrin said as she and Miller came into the house bearing gifts.

"Wow," Wolf said looking at the cobalt blue fur pouf that had eyes, nose, mouth with a tongue poking out and white fluffy ears on the sides. It was something he'd imagine would give a kid nightmares. He looked to Danny and Kara "you guys, I just can't accept such a beautiful gift." he told them as he tried not to laugh.

"All yours, Pal." Danny said as he tried to keep a straight face. Now that he could see the pouf in good lighting it was more amusing than creepy.

"Yeah, and it has a matching doona cover! Happy Birthday!" Larrin said as she unfolded a single size doona cover that was made out of the same cobalt blue fur.

"It's your birthday?" Tex asked Wolf confused.

"In a couple of weeks." Wolf said as he really hoped he didn't have to accept the gifts on offer. The pouf was damn ugly and he knew Danny would check in periodically to see he had it because he was just that kind of punk.

"Happy Birthday! Keep that thing in your room." Tex told him in a mock serious manner.

"Gee, Thanks guys. How about we keep it outside for now until we can wash them." Wolf said, maybe if he was lucky a wild animal would take the doona cover in the night and run leaving just the pouf to deal with.

* * *

Hours later,

"The house can be fixed right?" Kara asked Danny as she laid her head on his shoulder and curled her body against his. The Granny flat was small but perfect for them for the time being as it was their own space and they had a small kitchenette. They were just grateful Tex was letting them have it. But they needed a house for when the baby came, it was non negotiable for Danny as he wanted their child to grow up in a house with his or her own room.

"Yeah, Tex and I pulled up some carpet and we got some pretty good floorboards underneath. So we'll start with the upstairs and work our way down. Get the carpet out before we strip the walls. It'll take a while but we'll get there." Danny said as he pressed his lips to Kara's brow.

"We don't have our pay yet. We still need to buy stuff for the baby and keep enough in savings for when the economy comes back." Kara said already worrying about the future.

"We'll work it out and we got friends so labour will cheap." Danny said as he moved hand up and down her back in a soothing manner.

"We can't do that." Kara said as she didn't feel right abusing her friends by making them work on her house. She already felt bad about Tex helping them but it wasn't like she could go in there. Well, she could but she just wasn't comfortable with it as she was trying to be as healthy and relaxed with her pregnancy. Something she knew would be difficult if she had to look inside the house and see the amount of work.

"I'll pay them with beer. It's all good. They know I'll return the favour when it's their turn. It'll all work out." Danny assured her.

"You still thinking of going to Iowa with Miller and Taylor?" Kara asked changing the topic as she felt it was important. She had her mother but she didn't want Danny to miss out on a chance of finding his family given now was the best time. They were on R&R and she was only 16 weeks pregnant so it wasn't like he was going to missing much in regards to their child.

"I don't really want to leave you or miss out on the rest of your pregnancy." Danny said to her, one of hands smoothing over her pregnant belly.

"But." Kara prompted.

"It might be the only chance I've got before the baby comes." Danny said utter the same thoughts she was having. She pushed up in the bed and looked down at him.

"I think you should go. I'll be alright here, and worst case you'll be gone a few weeks, best case a few days." She said as she laid a hand on his chest to keep herself upright.

"True." Danny said in agreement. In the grand scheme it wasn't too much time but he still had plans, plans that required him being in St Louis with her. He still needed to ask her to marry him, he knew he wasn't going to find the perfect moment when he was thousands of miles away from her.

"I'm only going to get bigger and more uncomfortable. I'll save all the sonogram photos that happen between when you leave and come back." Kara told him.

"I'll think about it." Danny told her.

* * *

The next morning,

"Their place has good bones." Larrin said to Tex as they were walking down the hallway to visit Rachel. They'd had breakfast like one huge family with the others before they all peeled off with their own missions. Kara and Kathleen had gone off to shop for some clothes given all of Kara's civilian clothing were a little too tight given her pregnancy and well Kathleen and Larrin just needed clothes.

Danny had gone off with Miller and Wolf to find out what was going on with the others from the ship. Larrin could only assume to see who was heading North to find their families and to see if they could get transport and permission to do so. While Tex and Larrin were visiting Rachel. they'd gone to the hotel and packed up her room and gear, putting into the back of the truck Tex so they could take it home and hold it for Rachel until she had a plan of where she was going.

"Don't tell me you're a builder too." Tex said in a teasing tone as the girl was the most intelligent woman he'd met under the age of 30. Not that Kat wasn't smart cause his baby girl was definitely bright but Larrin seemed to be in her class.

"No, but how hard is it to strip wallpaper off the walls and rip carpet out." Larrin said with a shrug.

"It's hard sweaty work." Tex promised her with a smile.

"Well, at least I won't have to worry about what I eat if I help out." Larrin said with her own smile. Tex laughed as he wasn't sure whether to encourage Larrin or not given she did have a healthy appetite. Though he figured it would taper off in the following weeks when she realized the food wasn't going to stop coming. For now it was probably a novelty to not feel hungry or at least he hoped as she ate more than the boys.

"I think you're better off finding work that uses that grey matter between your ears while the Doc is recuperating." Tex told her.

"Yeah-" Larrin stopped and pointed to the room they had just passed "hey isn't this the room?" Larrin asked as they backtracked and looked in to find the room empty and tidied up like it was waiting to be used. Tex frowned and looked up at the number above the door.

"It is." He said perplexed as Rachel wouldn't have been released. He spotted a nurse coming out of another room and flagged her down. "Nurse, where's the patient who was in this room. Dr Scott?" he asked. The woman turned to him and wore a saddened expression that made Tex's stomach drop as he knew that look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but Dr Scott died last night." She informed him.

"How? Who claimed the remains?" Tex asked as he couldn't believe it. Rachel looked weak but on the mend. Dr Clarke had said she'd make a full recovery.

"I don't know, I only found out when I came on shift this morning. You'll have to ask at the reception" The nurse told him.

* * *

Rachel woke up and frowned as her room had changed. Gone was her hospital room replaced with walls of what looked to be a wooden cabin and medical equipment. Sunlight streamed through the window showing her beautiful view of a forested area. She wondered vaguely how she had gotten there but then remembered the ambulance ride. Emmerson and another person. The letter from Tom, she felt her heart turn cold at knowing she had been mistreated so thoroughly by a man she trusted.

He said she was being taken away for her safety but really she felt like she was being put into a box until he felt ready to deal with her. Just Like Michener had treated her by giving her a new mission so soon after docking to go to Nebraska. They didn't need her now so they needed her out of the way. At least it felt that way, it was just lucky for them that she had been shot as it made her more malleable given she had no choice but to rest and get her strength back.

The door to her room opened and Rachel turned her head to see Dr Clarke step into the room. The woman gave her a warm smile.

"Morning or more like afternoon." She told her wryly as she moved to her side and looked over Rachel's vitals monitor and IV lines and bag.

"Where are we?" Rachel asked her.

"Somewhere safe to be honest I have no clue." She told her.

"I'd like to make a phone call." Rachel told her, she wanted to call Tex and tell her she was alright. She wanted to call Larrin and give her some research and books to look into over the next following weeks to make sure she was up to speed with Rachel about what they doing and give the young girl background knowledge so she could perform well as her assistant. She felt horrible that being shot had a huge ripple effect on her life but wanted to minimize the damage.

"You can't, didn't Emmerson tell you?" Dr Clarke asked.

"No, tell me what?" Rachel asked confused.

"We're in a sort of witness protection. As far as the world is concerned you're dead, so it'll be a little weird if you're making phone calls from the grave." Dr Clarke told her. Rachel's heart skipped a beat as she felt nauseous at the news. Angry and bitter tears welled in her eyes as she hated how it sounded like she was truly cut off from the world and the betrayal of not being consulted about her own wishes on the matter.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who have been reviewing for the story! and welcome to the new followers and favouriters :-)... Please continue to Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 14

* * *

"Where is she?" Tex asked Tom, he walked into the man's office without even bothering to knock. Tom looked up from the paperwork at his desk as saw Tex was pissed off. Something he had expected and was prepared for. He waved the temp secretary that worked for him to leave and the door closed behind them.

"I assume you're talking about Rachel." Tom said.

"She's not dead. But you put on a pretty show and claimed the remains which apparently have been cremated and waiting for the funeral." Tex said in a tone that warned Tom not to lie to him. He leaned on the desk and looked at Tom with no nonsense look. Tom put down his paperwork and leaned back in his chair up at Tex. He knew he didn't have to tell the man anything but he felt he owed him as the rift between them was partially his fault. After everything they had survived and what Tex had sacrificed he deserved to know.

"This doesn't leave this room." He said in a low voice. "The President wanted her taken to a undisclosed location where she would safe while we deal with the Immunes. Once the threat is gone, she'll be able to come back-"

"Then what is the bullshit about her dying?" Tex asked him, he was simmering with anger not just at being left out of the loop but for Rachel as it sounded like she had been packed up and sent away without being consulted by the high handed President Michener. He understood the reasons but he felt it was redundant to hide her when they couldn't tell who the Immune soldiers were which meant she would be hidden away indefinitely.

"To help keep her safe. I just want to keep her safe and it's easier when the world thinks she's dead." Tom told him.

"Can I talk to her?" Tex asked, he wanted- no needed to hear her voice to know that she was ok, that she understood what was going on and if she wasn't happy to try and get her out. his original plan was to offer a room at his house until she got back on her feet. He knew it was too much to ask they become more than friends but he wanted to take care of her and help support her.

"No, none of us can but I promise you, she's being well taken care of-"

* * *

Larrin heard Tex shout presumably at the Captain as she sat outside in the waiting area to the Captain's office. The secretary who'd been there earlier disappeared after closing the door. Presumably to get a cup of coffee or whatever. The woman seemed pretty useless given Tex had run roughshod over her when she was supposed to be the gatekeeper to the Captain or Admiral. Well the door still said Captain but who knew.

Larrin twiddled her thumbs as the shouting quietened down which made her wonder what they were shouting about. The walls were thick enough that one couldn't really decipher what was being said only the tone, the rest was muffled. She heard footfalls from the hallway and assumed the secretary was back but instead Dr Milowsky breezed in the outer office area where she was sitting. She straightened her posture as she remembered him briefly from the night of the shooting.

"Ah, I wouldn't go in there." Larrin warned the man, he had been about to open the door but his hand stopped at the handle as he turned and frowned at her.

"Why not?" he asked her.

"Captain is in a meeting." she told him, she felt uncomfortable as he looked her over sizing her up by the state of her old and worn clothes and her birkenstock sandals. He obviously didn't remember her as there was no flash of recognition in his eyes.

"With whom? he's supposed to be meeting with me." Milowsky said indignantly.

"Last minute emergency meeting." Larrin offered as she wasn't going to advertise whatever beef Tex had with the Captain to the man.

"Have we met?" he asked her.

"Inaugural ball, I'm Larrin Taylor. Wolf's sister." she said prompting his memory and it worked as he gave a nod finally remembering her. Judging by how he looked to her legs then back at her face made her think her face wasn't the most memorable part of their introduction which made her immediately dislike him in the moment.

"You impressed Dr Scott, if I remember rightly." he said pointing at her.

"Yeah." Larrin said.

"Such a horrible waste of life and genius." he said looking saddened for a moment by the loss of Dr Scott. Larrin felt gutted by the woman's death but kept it to herself as her sense of loss was more selfish as she had lost a great opportunity to work with one of someone she admired greatly. She hadn't really known Rachel long enough to grieve her as a person so to pretend to do so now just felt wrong.

"Yeah," Larrin said in agreement. "It just doesn't make sense for her to die like that. It wasn't-"

"I'm sorry but you're not a doctor." Milowsky asked cutting her off as he looked insulted by her questioning the coroner's report. Larrin had seen it when Tex requested it but she felt confused by what she had seen though she kept it to herself at the time but she thought maybe Dr Milowsky could explain it for her. She had the education just not the practical experience. But his tone grated on her as he looked at her like she was an airhead.

"I hold three degrees. I was working towards my MD and PhD. Dr Scott hired me to be her assistant while she continued to study the virus and the progress of the cure in hot zones. I also think I'd know a fatal injury given I've spent the last six months on this continent which is more like a war zone than a first world country." Larrin snapped at him as she hated his patronising manner.

"I'm sure, but I hope this isn't you telling me that you're more qualified than Dr Scott's physicians." Milowsky told her, in that tone that said 'you're a kid, go back to playground and mess around on the monkey bars while the real adults worked.

"Of course not, I just find it odd that they didn't pick up on the-" Larrin started but Milowsky cut her off a gain with a dismissive shake of his head.

"It may be odd to you but people die all the time from the most innocuous of injuries, mistakes are made, things are missed. Sometimes the best doctors and machines don't catch the problem until the patient has died. Something you'll learn if you ever become a doctor." Milowsky told her in a slow manner like he was talking to a child. It irked her how he stressed 'if' like it would never happen.

"Well, we'll see. Dr Scott had given me a job-" Larrin started again only to stop as Milowsky gave a laugh at her words.

"I hope you're not angling to get a job out of me because I already have a team of fully qualified and experienced Doctors. Even if I was looking for undergrads, I'd want them to have a better attitude." Dr Milowsky told her.

"I bet you'd want them to be American as well." Larrin said snidely, Milowsky looked ready to refute her claim when the door opened and Tex stalked out just as angry as when he went in.

"Let's go Larrin." Tex said to her motioning for her to follow.

"Gladly." Larrin said as she rose from her chair and walked with Tex.

* * *

"Was it me or was that really easy?" Miller asked Wolf as they were given keys to a new SUV that had a full tank of petrol and a couple jerry cans filled with petrol. The Captain had basically patted them on the back and gave them permission to leave. Not that they needed it to but they didn't feel right leaving without informing the Captain or Master Chief.

But it was startling how easy it was to get permission to go and have all their requests for transportation, fuel and weapons.

They managed to run into Alisha who was happy to join their party up North. She had planned on going solo but actually looked relieved to have company. But they had to wait until after the state funeral for Dr Scott. It was already a given they would stay and pay their respects to the woman who had saved them all.

It was a shock to learn the doctor had died after finally being able to come, to being able to distribute the cure only to have the creator of the cure be gunned down and die. It wasn't fair, and the immune soldier who they assumed to had shot her before coming after them had hung himself in his cell. It seemed like there was no justice as the man killed himself before they could get any useful information from him.

"A little but then we're heroes in St Louis so I figure they feel they owe or something." Wolf offered as explanation. He didn't care as long as they got what they needed and given they weren't greedy it all balanced out in his books.

"I don't know, I just can't believe Dr Scott is gone." Miller said with a shake of his head.

"I know," Wolf agreed as he was in shock himself. He couldn't believe that an Immune had slipped through the hotel with a weapon completely undetected to shoot one of their own.

"I mean, you were there. Did it look that bad?" Miller asked him referring to seeing Dr Scott after she was shot. Wolf gave a shake of his head because by the time he'd rocked up, all he saw was the Doctor on the floor. She had still been breathing but it was hard for him to make any real assessment about her condition.

"I can't really recall mate. Just that she was shot in the chest but she was alive when they took her to the hospital. She was fine yesterday when we guarded her." Wolf said at which Miller nodded. He just couldn't help but feel something was incredibly off about it all but frankly it was above his pay grade.

* * *

Kara felt like she were in some kind of surreal dream as she and Kathleen drove to the closest mall finding it completely normal and busy with people. Kara was glad she had asked the boys to pool in their cash. She knew with the Banking system in St Louis actually functioning that it'd be just a matter of time before they'd all eventually be paid and have access to their own accounts again but for now it was all about what they had in their back pockets.

Miller was broke bar three dollars and one cent but in his defence he'd lost his money to Tex who was surprising flush with cash that he'd won from poker games and bets on the ship. Wolf was a waste of time too as he only had Australian money left in his wallet. Danny had about $20 dollars to his wallet.

Either way, Kara made budget and was on a mission with Kat as her partner. They were getting clothes and more food. Luckily most shops were having decent sales to keep money coming into the shop and products out. It worked well for them as the women all needed at least a couple changes of clothes and closed top shoes for Larrin.

"I think Larrin is about my size, though taller and no pregnant belly." Kara said as they sifted through the sale racks. In their mission they'd forgotten key information like Larrin's shoe and clothing sizes. They'd given up the idea of guessing Larrin's shoe size and decided to make clothes and other sundries the priority.

"Yeah." Kat said a little unsure as she tried not to offend Kara. She really liked the woman, shopping with her reminded her of times with her mom except Kara felt more like an older sister she never had.

"How about this for Larrin?" Kara asked holding up a top to show Kat wearing a smile. It was a navy blue t-shirt with white block writing that said 'Snappy Little Number' on it.

It was hard to judge what type of clothes the Australian woman would wear especially colours so they just bought a couple of shirts, a few t-shirts and sweaters so far only because Kara was too indecisive in guessing what Larrin's inseam was to get her jeans. Thankfully the shop clerk helped them out but it was still fun to be out with Kat. To be shopping like all the mess of the past few months were just a bad nightmare.

Kat smiled at the t-shirt knowing it was more of a joke than serious purchase but it definitely was something that spoke of Larrin's personality to her.

"I think we should get it. It's on sale and it's pretty cute for a t-shirt. I can see her liking it." Kara said talking them into the purchase.

"Ok." Kat said in agreement.

"You ok?" Kara asked as she couldn't help but be concerned as Kat was fairly quiet this morning.

"My Mom and I used to go shopping like this. Make a whole day of it." Kat said with a smile as she reminisced.

"I'm sorry, she's not with us. I would have liked to meet her." Kara said to her with a smile.

"Did Dad talk about her?" Kat asked.

"Some," Kara lied with a smile to comfort the girl. Tex didn't reveal much about his life to the crew so finding out he had a daughter was a shocker but a good one. "There wasn't a lot spare time on the Nathan James for small talk. Just the mission but he always said good things about you and her. He's so proud of you. All he talked about was getting back to you guys." Kara offered wanting to comfort the girl because she knew Tex loved his daughter, the fact he didn't talk about her meant nothing except that he was a private person.

"I miss her." Kat confessed.

"Well, I'm here and happy to listen to some good memories you want to share." Kara told her sincerely. Kat gave a nod accepting the offer but frankly wasn't ready to take her up on it yet.

"I think we should get Larrin a skirt." Kat said changing the topic.

"I don't think she likes skirts." Kara argued as she remembered how uncomfortable Larrin was in her dress the night of the inaugural ball.

"What about a dress? She could wear it on a date with Miller. Like this one." Kat said as she pulled out cream floral shirt dress in a soft chiffon with a mandarin collar.

"He'd have to ask her out on one first." Kara told her with an amused smile.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

* * *

"You guys got a head start." Danny said as he returned from a meeting to find Tex and Larrin carting out what looked to be the fourth roll of shag pile carpet out to the front lawn and dumping it.

"Yeah, we had some steam to use." Tex said to him as he and Larrin stopped to take a break. He had to admit that Rachel's faked death and absence made him angry. What made him angry most was the high-handedness to Tom. He always left wriggle room for Rachel to have her way but now he just packed her off without even giving her a choice as he knew Rachel wouldn't hide. She'd want to stay and face the danger.

"You owe me $20, the floorboards are in great nick." Larrin said to Danny as Tex handed Larrin a bottle of water to keep her hydrated.

Tex couldn't help but notice the girl was depressed and angry at the world but for slightly different reasons. What really surprised him was the fire in her belly. She really was just like a facsimile of her brother when it came to work. She pulled on boots that were too big and changed into a t-shirt and without a second thought went to work with him on the interior of the house. It seemed to help her work out her demons.

"Think of my child, do you want to take $20 from him." Danny asked her in an imploring manner.

"Her" Larrin corrected "and yeah, it's the principle of the thing. Your daughter will understand it's the principles of honoring an agreement and paying one's debts." she added in a mocking manner before she took a long sip of water. Danny would pay the debt but he looked to Tex for support only to find him smiling at them; staying completely neutral.

"Have Kara and Kat come home yet?" Danny asked moving to safer territory.

"No, I think they made a day of it with Tex's money." Larrin said as she rubbed the sweat from her forehead with the sleeve of the 'Navy' T-shirt she'd stolen from Wolf. Her brother was not going to want it back after today as it reeked.

"As they should. Money is only good for spending." Tex said to them as he was glad to see Kat bond with Kara and Larrin. He knew it would be a hard time without her mother to help her through her teens but at least she had some older female friends to help her out when Tex wasn't equipped to do so.

"Speaking of," Larrin said, she gestured behind Danny where Kara and Kat walked the footpath carrying numerous bags. They were close to a bus stop. Danny made a mental note to look into organising a car for Kara as he knew she would need it to get around to work and when the baby came.

"Hey," Danny said as he and the others walked up to the women. He took the bags off of Kara and gave her a quick kiss in greeting.

"You guys look successful." Tex said to them as he helped his daughter.

"Sort of, I forgot to get your shoe size and I went with long on the pants length." Kara said to Larrin.

"I don't think I told you but I'm a 9 and half. The pants length is perfect, thank you." Larrin said with a smile as she really appreciated them going shopping for her. She wasn't used to being out in the open and the idea of going to a mall filled with people made her anxious and uncomfortable.

"No problem but we will have to get you proper boots if you're going to keep working in the house." Kara said looking down at Larrin's feet to see that the woman was wearing two pairs of thick socks on her feet just to make them fit into the boots she was wearing.

"Yeah, these are just some I found in the downstairs closet." Larrin said as her feet looked ginormous in her current shoes.

"Of our place?" Kara asked a little worried. Larrin chuckled and shook her head.

"No, from Tex's" Larrin assured her.

"Our place, it's mine as much as yours." Tex told Larrin.

"Well, we can go back in the next couple of days and buy you boots that fit." Kara said her maternal instincts were really kicking in hard as she just wanted to make sure Kat and Larrin had everything they needed. She knew she was battle weary from so many months at sea and with what had happened but she felt it was nothing compared to what Kat and Larrin had experienced.

Maybe what made it seem worse for them over Kara was that Kara signed up knowing the Military what to expect and had combat experience while these two young women like many civilians had suffered through a pandemic completely unprepared and awakened to the horrible side of human nature.

"We'll be tied up for the next few days." Danny told Kara. She looked to Danny and frowned.

"Why?" She asked as far as she knew they all had R&R for at least a week before they were dragged in for more briefings and meetings on how to proceed with what intelligence they had.

"No one called you?" Danny asked her.

"My phone died." Kara told him.

"Dr Scott is dead." Danny told her.

* * *

Three days later,

Miller sat at the dining table deep in his own thoughts as he couldn't sleep and like the others had been stuck in a sombre mood. Dr Scott's death had affected them all greatly, Kara had withdrawn in herself from the grief when she first found out but by the afternoon managed to keep moving forward by helping Tex with his household. It was kind of like she'd become mother hen to them all as she made sure they were all taken care of and she with Kat's help liberated kitchen duties from Tex.

Dr Scott's funeral had been a big production which had made Miller uncomfortable as he felt it wasn't something the doctor would have wanted. He didn't know her well but she always seemed like she preferred to stay out of the spotlight and be quietly recognised for her accomplishments but the President had been adamant on large production of it with him right at the front reminding them all how tragic her loss was.

He agreed with that Dr Scott's death was tragic but he didn't like that Michener placed so much importance on hers while many other people had died but their deaths went unacknowledged like Michener didn't care about them. He just wanted to use Dr Scott's death as a platform for his presidency.

He had wished that maybe Dr Scott could have been honoured in a ceremony that celebrated the many lives she saved with her cure and the many more that would be once they continued distributing the cure. Something the Captain had touched on in his eulogy but it didn't seem enough.

At the wake, many of the sailors had talked about how the funeral had felt more like an advertisement for Michener than about the Doctor. Some saying that they'd prefer she be counted among the many who'd lost their lives before focusing on the positives of the legacy she left behind.

They all talked about how they were going use their R&R for more than a break which was when Danny said he'd be joining him, Alisha and Wolf in going up North. Burk jumped on board with the plan which meant they were going to have to get more supplies. Not a big deal but the back seat of the SUV was definitely going to be cosy at least until they found another vehicle in their travels.

Either way, since the funeral he, Wolf and the others was rushing to get ready to leave in the morning. He was eager to find his Mom but he was also sad to go as he was going to miss the mismatched family that was created in the walls of Tex's home. He was also going to miss Larrin, though she acted really happy and cool around everyone he could tell she was upset about Wolf going. Something he felt guilty about as he was the reason Wolf was leaving.

Miller heard footsteps come from the staircase and turned to see Larrin. He watched as she walked over to the kitchen and sifted through the cupboards. She looked half asleep as her hair was a mess and her sleepwear that consisted of a t-shirt dress with a pocket was rumpled from that ended a little higher than mid thigh.

He tried to keep his eyes up out of respect for her as the male part of his brain fully registered her long trim legs and her cheeky underwear encased backside as the hem of her t-shirt rose up as she reached up to look in an top cupboard. He was pretty sure he'd have the visuals memorised and later would blame it on his military training as he was supposed to be aware of his surroundings. Yep, if Wolf was here, Miller knew he'd be toast as that excuse wouldn't fly. But luckily for him; Wolf was asleep.

"You hungry?" he asked as Larrin who just moved to open the fridge. She jumped at his words and whirled around seeing him for the first time. He would have just sat quietly watching her but he felt it was just a little wrong to enjoy the view given she hadn't seen him in the dark.

"You scared me." Larrin said to Miller as she pressed a hand to her chest to calm herself. The light in the fridge illuminating the room.

"Didn't mean to. Are you ok?" Miller asked her as he couldn't help but notice that she had checked every cupboard that had food in it before opening the fridge. Something he'd learned about living with Larrin was that when she was hungry she just went straight for what she wanted. She didn't forage around the kitchen which is what made her looking through every cupboard a little weird.

"Yeah, and I'm not hungry. I just-" she scrunched her nose and shook her head "It's stupid." she told him with a wave of her hand too embarrassed to tell him.

"Tell me." Miller prompted in a gentle manner as he was curious. Larrin closed the door to the fridge and turned around to face him. Her night vision coming through now that the only light one now was the street lights outside.

"How about you tell me what happened when you ended up pointing to the ocean on that globe for your thursday night dinners." Larrin said changing the topic as she leaned on the kitchen bench and looked at him.

"We'd be pirates. Eat fish fingers and chips." Miller answered, Larrin gave a small smile as she liked it. She blew out a breath and ran a hand through her hair.

"I like to make sure the food is still there. Like every night." She told him feeling incredibly embarrassed and because she was sharing something that she knew would make her sound like a crazy person. "Because I'm afraid that this is all some crazy dream. That I'm going to wake up alone and still running for my life." she explained her hands out in a 'I don't know' kind of gesture as she couldn't explain her weird tendencies she seemed to be growing in the wake of being in St Louis.

"Wolf is hiding chocolate caramel pop tarts in the laundry. You want to share one?" Miller asked her, she smiled as he didn't look at her with pity or like she was crazy. He just looked like he got an answer to a question and understood it for what it was instead of trying to make sense of it.

"Yeah ok." Larrin said, Miller disappeared to get the pop tarts and came back with one placing it into the toaster. A few minutes later, they were sitting on the couch with two glasses of milk on the coffee table and a plate with one pop tart on it cut in half sitting on the couch between them.

"I couldn't sleep." Miller said to her, he'd turn on a lamp so they could see each other. But dimmed it so as not to be completely blinded by the brightness.

"Anxious to find your Mum?" Larrin asked.

"Yeah. I'm worried about what I'll find out." Miller told her before he took a bite of his half of the pop tart.

"You never mention your Dad. Are you planning to find him too?" Larrin asked, she wanted to know roughly how long he'd be gone. Not just because Wolf was with him but she really liked him, really liked having him around her as he made her feel safe and sane. Not that the others didn't do that for her but Miller's presence was like a warm blanket on a cold night. But she didn't miss Miller's expression grow dark for a moment at the mention of his father.

"Ah no, he ran out on my Mom when she found out she was pregnant with me. He wasn't ready to be a Dad but then most people aren't ready to be parents at 18. I tracked him down when I was 16, he still wasn't interested in the job." Miller said uncomfortably as no one really asked him about his biological father knowing it was an off limits topic. He refused to call the man his 'Dad' as the guy didn't want an active role in his life.

"His loss." Larrin told him. Miller gave a tight smile as he liked that with two words she made him feel better about the loss of that type of relationship in his life.

"Yeah," Miller said even though he would have liked to have a father, to have that kind of relationship but his father wasn't that kind of man. "So have you figured out what you're going to do?" he asked changing topics.

"Apply for jobs here in St Louis. Destroy the interior of Kara and Danny's house. Wait for my brother and you to hopefully come back here." Larrin said looking to him as she broke a small piece off her pop tart and eating it.

"Sounds like a plan." Miller said to her, he could see she wasn't enthusiastic about it as she had about working with Dr Scott.

"Yeah, I wish Dr Scott was alive. I know it makes me heartless but I would have loved to learn from her." Larrin said with a wince. She didn't know Dr Scott like the others in the house had so her sadness was from a loss of another future for herself. She felt Dr Scott's loss as something more superficial.

"It's not heartless. I think you two would have made a great team." Miller said to her.

"You guys know what you're rolling into out there right?" Larrin asked.

"We're prepared." Miller assured her.

"You know, I was half tempted to go over to Danny and Kara's house tonight and rip some of those creepy lizards off the walls and surreptitiously place them around here to freak everyone out. You know to lighten the mood." Larrin said changing the topic. Miller gave a chuckle as he could just imagine it.

"We could do that. I think one on the floor of the shower." Miller suggested, Larrin's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Yeah, I was also thinking of one right on Wolf's pillow. Another on the dashboard of your SUV and one outside of Kara and Danny's granny flat." Larrin said with a smile.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

* * *

"Well, you skipped past a couple stages of grieving pretty quick." Emmerson said from the doorway to Rachel's room, three days had passed since her 'death' and she had only grown more angry and bitter as she laid in the bed with nothing to occupy her.

"I'm stuck here, my friends think I'm dead and there's nothing I can do about it. It seems I don't even get a say in anything that happens to me at all." Rachel said bitterly as she was angry, depressed and jaded.

"Yeah, most folks who end up in WITSEC aren't happy because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or they are just pissy because the accommodations aren't up to their standard." he said as he leaned against the door frame and looked at her.

"I take it I'm the former." Rachel remarked drily.

"Yeah but most of those in the former group tend to forget that this is to protect them and their families." Emmerson said in a casual manner like they were talking about people deciding what to have for dinner.

"If you're trying to make me feel better. It's not working." Rachel told him, Emmerson gave her a wry smile and shook his head.

"Nope, just laying out for you. Also because while I got you in the angry stage it's best to just tell you what's going to happen from here on out." He said, Rachel remained sullenly silent as she saw no point in fighting him given her injury left her completely at his and Dr Clarke's mercy. "Now, we're going to stay camped here for the next couple of months while you recover. I'll go out for food and other sundries when needed but your main aim is to recover."

"Not like I can do anything else."

"Then I'll be bringing in a friend from the west who will rehab and train you to fight, I'll teach you firearms. Then when you're proficient we'll talk about relocating you to a small town where you can live out your time until the situation with the immunes is resolved. Now we get into the hard part."

"Oh only now?"

"Yeah, people know your face. So we're going to have change something about it." He told her.

"No." Rachel told him in a serious tone as she refused to change her physical appearance. She'd learn how to protect herself, she'd cut her bloody hair if she had to but in no way was she getting her face altered by cosmetic surgery. She already had too many choices taken away from her so she refused to have any more taken from her.

"Look, it won't happen right now but in the future it'll have to be considered if this Immune problem can't be nipped in the bud." Emmerson told her.

* * *

"You sure about me going?" Danny asked, he was only being half serious when he asked as it was more of a joke. He knew if she said 'stay' he would. He knew if he asked then the team would search for his family for him. It was a lot to ask of them but he wanted to show Kara that he'd be there for her. He just asked at a really bad time for it to be taken seriously as they'd just finished making love and enjoying the after glow of it.

It was one luxury they hadn't had on the ship but it felt great to actually act as a couple and be alone in their own space of the granny flat. It was only temporary and frankly he couldn't wait to get into their own home. Part of him did want to stay home and be a part of making his house a home for him, Kara and the baby instead of hunting down his family.

"I don't know, I think I've changed my mind." Kara said with a breathless chuckle as she rested her head on his chest and looked up at the ceiling as she dragged the top sheet over her body, not because she was self conscious but because she was starting to feel a little cool, frankly it just felt decadent to be wrapped up in soft cotton sheets.

"I can stay." he said this time being serious. Kara shook her head.

"No, I think it's important you find your family." Kara told him as she didn't know how long R&R would last and she didn't want him regretting the time he could have used to find his family. She knew he grew up in a close knit family for him to not want to find them seemed wrong to her.

"You and this baby are my family." Danny told her.

"Look it's your choice but do you really want to look back and wonder if you hadn't gone now?" Kara asked him.

"I know you're right. I'm just afraid of what I'll find." Danny said quietly, it was a fear that gnawed at him ever since the beginning which was why he was so reticent to leave her in a few hours. He knew it made him a coward but it was easier for him to believe they were out there than to find out they were dead.

"Isn't it better knowing than not?" Kara argued.

"Yeah, true. I'm getting something to drink. You want something?" he asked as he needed space to think about his family and get himself ready to leave Kara for his trip.

"Water would be great." Kara said. Danny gave a nod and slowly extricated himself from under her and moved out the bedroom to the small kitchenette. He filled up a glass of water and looked out the front window as something twigged his senses as being off.

Kara stretched out on the bed and listened to Danny move around the kitchenette. She frowned when she heard the front door open as she knew it way too early visitors.

"Holy-" Danny started.

"What?" Kara asked loudly cutting Danny off before he could curse. A few seconds later, Danny came back into the bedroom and help up a lizard statue. It had been ripped off the wall as it still had wallpaper stuck to it's feet. "Where did you find that?" she asked him.

"There's a trail of them leading from the front door to the house." He informed her. Kara picked up his t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on before she followed him out to their front door. It wasn't more than three steps but right there on the path way was a trail of the lizards like they were migrating to the backdoor of Tex's house. She wasn't sure whether to find it amusing that someone went to the effort or creeped out by the sheer number of statues on the pathway that had been liberated from the hallway of their house.

"Who would do that?" Kara asked him.

"I don't know, but I'm glad they are out of the house." Danny said with a chuckle.

* * *

A loud thump sounded from upstairs and Tex looked over to Larrin and Miller who were sitting at the breakfast table looking like mischievous kids who knew they were in trouble and were enjoying the fun until they got shouted at.

"That better be his ass falling out of bed." Tex told Larrin and Miller as he could only assume that thump was Wolf falling out of bed. He'd gotten up early to have first shower only to be halfway through soaping up to find a lizard looking up at him from the bottom of the shower.

It had only been a momentary surprise as he had been afraid of drowning the poor reptile only to find it was a statue. He was otherwise pretty immune to animals invading his personal space as his assignments in the military and as a contractor usually had him in pretty poor living conditions. Either way he finished his shower and came downstairs placing the statue on the dining table not knowing how Kat would react if she found it. Frankly he had a feeling he was being pranked. Something he wasn't alone in given Kara and Danny came in to warn him of the incoming lizard infestation outside his back door.

"Why do I get the feeling you two aren't going to be a normal couple?" Kara asked them, Larrin and Miller both went slightly red as they were so premature in their relationship that Kara just knew they hadn't even kissed but the idea of them being couple was appealing. Kara had to admit they were cute even if a little weird.

"Depends on your definition of 'normal'." Larrin told her with an amused smile before she took a sip of her drink trying to be cool and utterly failing.

"Pulling lizards from our house and dispersing them around the place in the middle of the night. Not normal." Danny said to help Kara clarify it for them. He knew the second he and Kara came into the house that Miller and Larrin were the culprits. He was half tempted to give Miller advice about women but given they were leaving he was saving it for the road.

"But it's fun." Larrin told him, Danny looked to Miller who looked to be in complete agreement with Larrin. "If it helps, Wolf didn't wake at all when we surrounded his bed in them, Not even when I put on his pillow." she added with a mischievous grin as Wolf made a noise of pain from upstairs, Kara couldn't help but smile at that as she could only imagine he just stepped on one of the lizards which made her wonder how many were actually in her house to begin with.

"Thanks for the wake up dear sister of mine." Wolf said as he came down the stairs looking perturbed and tired as he was dressed in sweats and t-shirt with his hair a mess. He placed one of the offending statue on the table before he sat down which only made Larrin and Miller struggle to keep their laughter contained. Even Danny and Kara couldn't help but smile.

"How many are in this house?" Tex asked Larrin as he knew she was the ring leader in her cute 'Snappy Little Number' t-shirt which was a pretty good description of her. Tex smiled and shook his head as he poured Wolf a coffee and placed it on the table.

"Think of it as a lizard hunt." Larrin said with a smile not answering the question purposefully.

"Well, at least it saves me some time yanking them off the wall." Tex said as it was one less job he had to look forward to. Though he had to wonder how many of the statues were just lurking around his house now.

"We didn't get them all and speaking of the lizards, I kind of broke part of your hallway last night." Larrin confessed in a 'please don't be mad with me' tone as she looked to Danny and Kara. The two paused in the eating of their breakfast and exchanged looks before turning their attention to Larrin.

"How bad?" Danny asked.

"Ah-" Larrin and Miller exchanged looks as if mentally having a conversation with one another on how much they should confess before Larrin looked to Kara and Danny. "Fairly bad." she said with a nod and looking contrite but her statement didn't really answer the question or instill a lot of confidence that it was just superficial damage.

"No structural damage. I think." Miller said trying to help but it wasn't really helping at all. Not that Kara and Danny were too upset by it as they figure anything was an improvement as long as the house didn't fall down.

"And there isn't a dead body in the wall." Larrin offered which earned her weird looks from everyone as they wondered why she would say it and it raised the question of how bad the damage was.

"We'll look at it after when you guys are on the road. I assume Kara is the foreman from now on." Tex said looking to Danny as he decided it was best to assess the damage when Danny was gone. The man tended to overreact more than Kara.

"Yeah, you sure about it?" Danny said feeling bad as it felt it was his responsibility to make a home.

"Yeah, me and lizard girl here have it covered. I'm sure it can't be too bad given they both look fine. So don't worry about it." Tex said gesturing to Larrin who wore a fake smile and thumbs up as if it would comfort him.

* * *

A couple hours later,

"Take care of yourself out there." Larrin said to Wolf with as much of a smile she could muster as she was going to miss him. She understood why he was leaving and was glad Miller wasn't going to be alone on his search but she was sad to have them both leave so soon.

But their time was limited to go searching for Miller and the other's loved ones. Larrin just hoped they would be ok as she still remembered what it was like to be outside of the cosy safe zone of St Louis. But then she wasn't a soldier so what she found frightening was probably every day thing for them. they certainly were prepared as the SUV was packed to brim with camping gear, food, petrol and other sundries. All them armed with rifles and side arms which was comforting for Larrin to know as they'd need the added protection.

"You try not to get into too much trouble." Wolf said to her as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"I'll do my best." Larrin wheezed as she playfully slapped him on the back returning his hug but also trying to get him to loosen his hold as he was squeezing the air from her. He let her go after a moment and gave her smile.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Wolf said which what he said to her every time he left.

"Oh so I can do anything and anyone?" She replied in a tongue and cheek manner. Wolf laughed as walked around the car and jumped into the driver's seat. Larrin turned to Miller with a coy smile, she was going to miss him.

"I had fun last night." she said to him in a low voice wanting to keep things light. It wasn't like they were a real couple or anything but she liked to think they were friends with the potential for more once he finished his travels in finding his Mum.

"Me too." Miller said, bar the damage to Kara and Danny's place it had been fun running around with her. He was kind of surprised they got off so easy about the damage but then they hadn't seen it yet. "But if they get mad about the wall just blame it on me." he told her as he was used to getting in trouble. Larrin made a face and shook her head.

"No, it'll be fine and it was my idea." Larrin gave a shrug. " It'll be fixed and forgotten about. so you just focus on finding your Mum and I'll see you when you get back." Larrin said it was a question but a certainty. Her statement that she would be here waiting for him and Wolf to come back. Something that warmed him.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

* * *

"Oh my god, this is painful. Just honk the horn." Burk said as he sat in the backseat of the SUV with Alisha. Somehow, Miller won shotgun except he and Green were holding up the trip by staring all cow eyes at their women. Something Burk was envious of as it made him wish he had that. But he did not understand Larrin and Miller. Miller was a nice kid but Larrin was like a ten on the scale of hot and while Miller was like a borderline four.

"Let them suffer through it." Wolf said as he sat in the driver's seat looking at his sister and Miller dance awkwardly around one another. He was half tempted to tell Miller to kiss her and be done with it but then Larrin was his sister and that was a line he didn't want to cross.

"What did they do last night?" Alisha asked in a low voice as they just heard Larrin tell Miller she had 'fun'. Wolf chuckled as Alisha and Burk obviously believed the two had sex given how the two were blushing and being just like puppies again.

"It's not what you're thinking. Miller is still our baby boy." Wolf told her.

"Hey! Come on Miller and Green. Daylight's wasting." Burk said as he tapped the side of his door with his hand getting their attention. Danny kissed Kara one last time and walked towards the car as Larrin pressed a kiss to Miller's cheek and wished him luck. As soon as Miller's back was turned Larrin looked at Burk and flipped him the bird.

"I love your sister." Alisha said with chuckle as Burk gave a 'what the hell?' gesture as he didn't think he did anything wrong.

"You want a crack at her too? Go for it." Wolf said as Miller and Danny got into the car. "Seat belt kids." Wolf added, he counted the tell tale clicks and looked at the back at Burk who ended up squished in the middle seat between Alisha and Danny.

"Dude, I'm not touching Green's ass." Burk told him.

"I'm not having you fly out this very nice front windscreen. I'm sure Kara will understand you sexually assaulted her boyfriend in the name of car safety. So either buckle up or get out." Wolf said, Burk glowered and moved to his seat belt to put it on.

"Dude, a little more to left and scra-ow!" Danny said as he'd moved his ass up to give Burk access to click in his seatbelt. But he'd also been mocking him by shaking his ass just a little only to have Burk pinch him hard.

"Oh yeah, just remember you asked for it." Burk told him.

* * *

An hour later,

Halsey had stayed on the front porch, he was waiting for Danny to come back. Larrin, Tex, Kara, and Kat who'd woken up and just finished breakfast all stood in the front hallway of Kara's house looking at the damage. Sure there was ripped wall paper from where the lizards had been extracted but that was the damage under evaluation. Larrin stood in front of them watching on as she tugged on the sleeve of her new chambray shirt waiting for some kind of explosion. If it was her Mum or Dad they would have hit the roof by now.

"Geezus, you said 'fairly bad'. I'd hate to know what 'bad' would look like." Tex said as he spoke first out of Kara and him. Kat was there as more of an observer than judge and jury. She hadn't actually been in the house as was just curious to be involved.

"If the house caved in. It's just a tiny hole -" Larrin started as if saying so would diminish the damage as there was a small hole where the plaster had ripped off the wall with the lizard but apparently the opposite wall they'd all presumed was brick was actually thin sheeting of old drywall which hadn't liked the combined weight of Larrin and Miller as it had a large man sized hole in it. The only upside was that they could rule out asbestos and they now knew the house wasn't insulated and the 70's makeover had been down in the past few years as the wiring was all recent not just the fuse box.

"And what do you call that hole?" Tex asked Larrin as he pointed to the man sized hole to his left. He spoke in a way that said he wasn't angry but trying to not laugh as Kara was looking a little flabbergasted by it all.

"Well, Miller was holding me up while I was yanking this ornery lizard off the wall. I think I should start from the beginning." Larrin started, Kara had to cover her smile with her hand as she just got a mental image of how it would look. Tex looked at Larrin not sure of what to say yet but was willing to hear her out.

So Larrin painted them the events of last night. That she came up with the idea and they'd come over to the house and proceeded pulling all the loose lizards off first and how they took them over to Tex's only realise they needed more lizards to finish the job. So after a couple minutes of her waffling. She threw in erratic hand gestures and facial expression that just emphasized her story to the point Tex and Kara were really struggling to not laugh. Finally, Larrin got to the part they'd been waiting for when she'd been pulling on the 'ornery' Lizard very hard and when it finally snapped off the wall; the force of doing so threw her and Miller off balance where they crashed into the opposite side of the hallway breaking through the drywall exterior. She told them of how they were totally fine and tried to fix the wall but didn't know how.

It painted a brilliant mini movie in their heads as Kara and Tex knew Miller so well that they knew how he would have acted. He would have been a blushing and bumbling fool as he helped Larrin to her feet. Judging by the blush on her cheeks there was probably a moment where he tried to brush the dust off her and ended up inappropriately touching her with them both blushing and getting awkward before they turned their attention to the wall. The reason they knew it was like that was Miller was too polite to even try use the accident as an opportunity to kiss Larrin.

After she finished telling it; she looked to Tex and Kara who was just bewildered as they weren't sure how to take it. After a few moments of digesting the events of last night, Tex stroked his beard in a thoughtful moment before he spoke. Kara's eyes were wide as and her lips pressed into a fine line as she really didn't want to laugh as she refused to be the first one to break between her and Tex.

"You know what? If it weren't you and Miller. I would never believe that story." Tex said with a smile as it was crazy but also cause he really felt he needed to have a sit down with Miller and tell him how to woo a woman.

"Why not?" Larrin asked with a frown not understanding as she figured she'd be in big trouble but Kara and Tex just looked amused. Kat just looked bemused by it all but then the humour was a little lost on her as she didn't know Miller or Larrin well enough to find it hilarious.

"Are you two ok after all that?" Kara asked as she coughed trying to keep from laughing. The need to laugh was dying even if the humour of it hadn't dissipated.

"Yeah just a minor scrape and some bruises. I'm really sorry about the wall." Larrin said sincerely because she did feel bad about it even if she enjoyed the hell out of Miller's company and their lizard adventures. It was just fun to be so carefree again.

"Don't worry about it." Kara told her as she looked at the damaged wall. She didn't care, while it did add extra work. It wasn't like it Larrin and Miller were malicious in making it happen. It was just an accident.

"Ok, so what are we going to do about the damage?" Larrin asked.

"We can replace the wall with drywall again or knock right through. There looks to be no structural damage but I'm no expert." Tex said to Kara as he inspected the wall and gingerly pushed at the edges of broken panel that remained in place.

"If we knock it through, what will we do with the wiring?" Kara asked Tex.

"Move it or find a way of covering it that's a little more aesthetically pleasing. Though it begs the question of how many of these walls are hollow." Tex said as he just assumed it was all bricks. It wasn't like he and Danny went around tapping them all as they'd been looking purely at the surface of the house.

"You think I could have open plan like yours?" Kara asked feeling a little bit hopeful. She'd be happy with anything that looked to opposite to the original house they were in. But she couldn't help but hope that maybe more could be done to redeem the house.

She looked to Tex who was thinking it over for her. She was grateful he knew more than she did. Her knowledge were the basics of turning off an overflowing toilet, water systems, how to change a light bulb and to check the fuse box when the power went out. As far as tearing a house about and messing with it's interiors; that was a little too outside her wheel house.

"Maybe, but I'd recommend getting the plans for the house and talking to a structural engineer and an will of course cost money." Tex told her.

"To be expected. Once the banks are working, Danny and I will have bay pay owed to us. I'll ask around maybe see if someone on the ship will do it for a free meal and a beer." Kara said with a shrug as they were like a family on the ship. She knew if any of the crew came to her for help she'd give it and vice versa. It was just how it worked.

"Ok, well until then we can keep stripping out the carpets and melting the wall paper off. Strip it back to the basics and see what we got to work with." Tex said to Kara making plans for the renovation.

"Alright, I'll see what I can bring to the table to help." Kara said as she knew she could requisition any tools they needed from Air base that was currently inactive. She needed to feel useful in her own house's renovation. Tex gave her a smile.

"Well, I think I'd feel better if you took care of yourself and the baby first. Then the meals and my house in trade for me slogging over here." Tex said in a hopeful tone to Kara. He figured it was better to let someone who knew how to cook actually do so then him making a mess of it.

"I'll help with house too." Larrin said to them, it wasn't like she had anything better to do.

Tex shook his head as he knew Larrin to a smart woman and he wasn't going to let her hide in Kara and Danny's house. Her smarts would be needed in the future.

"I want you to find a part time job that uses that brain of yours." Tex told Larrin. She made a face at him not liking the idea of it. Tex looked to Kat.

"You are going to go back to school." he told his daughter, in that moment he felt like he'd just adopted Larrin. Kat gave a shrug not even fighting his decision but then she was probably banking on there not being any functioning schools to go to.

"I broke the wall." Larrin reminded him as she remember Milowsky's dismissal of her and realised she was not going to end up with a job as great as the one Rachel had offered her.

"Yeah, I know but you can't waste your brilliance. Dr Scott wouldn't have wanted that and I think you need to at least try and make the most of it. This world needs more scientists than dumb grunts like me. Ok?" he asked her.

"Ok, but the world needs the dumb grunts because they know how to fix things us smart asses can't." Larrin argued.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

* * *

"Do we have some music?" Alisha asked from the backseat as they'd been driving for nearly 6 hours and while they stopped a couple hours ago to stretch their legs and have a break they'd run out of conversation and she just wanted to fill the silence so she didn't think about Sarah or Val.

She was so completely conflicted about Val as she had never felt such chemistry with a beautiful, intelligent and incredibly frustrating woman who made her blood boil with her crackpot conspiracies. But there was something about Val, a sense of understanding that Val had never felt with Sarah who was the love of her life.

It was why she was so driven to find Sarah. She felt if she found Sarah it would make whatever she felt for Val disappear. Frankly she had wanted to search for Sarah since setting foot in Baltimore all those weeks ago. She tried not to think about Baltimore as it led to thoughts of her mother.

"Local radio stations aren't playing music." Wolf said from the front seat as Miller was driving.

"No CD's?" Alisha asked them.

"It's a new car." Wolf explained.

"I could attach my iPhone. I got a kick ass playlist." Miller said as he weaved through the highway narrowly missing abandoned cars. He gestured to said phone that was sitting in the middle console in one of the cup holders.

"No, you don't. Your taste in music is questionable." Burk told him as he woke up from his nap in the middle seat to join the conversation.

"Anything would be better than the silence right now." Alisha told Burk as she reached past him for the phone without even asking for permission and turned on the Bluetooth on it. She looked to Wolf who obliged by turning the settings on the sound system to pair with the phone. She scrolled through Miller's music selection until she found something she could listen to and embarrass Miller at the same time.

She showed Burk who shook his head at the song choice but it didn't stop Alisha from hitting play. Sexy 80's saxophone and percussion music played over the speakers. Wolf chuckled as he turned up the volume.

 _"_ _Diamond life, lover boy._ _He move in space with minimum waste and maximum joy._ _City lights and business nights._ _When you require streetcar desire for higher heights"_ Of Sade's Smooth operator played. Alisha started singing with the song while Burk shook his head in disapproval.

"Sade is awesome." Miller said seeing Burk's disapproval in the rear view mirror. Danny just sat in his side of the car smiling as he didn't really care but enjoyed the frivolity of it as Alisha sang 'Smooth Operator' as smoothly like she were the true owner of the song.

* * *

"So when will they check in?" Larrin asked Kara as they were making dinner, it had been a long day of stripping more carpet out of the house. Larrin was beginning to think that the house was breeding the carpet as it seemed like they'd ripped out enough to cover three houses worth of floors.

"When they hit their first campsite. So just before sundown unless something happens that we need to be aware of." Kara told her as she shredded lettuce for a salad while Larrin was playing with Halsey on the floor. Kara didn't have the heart to tell her that Halsey was a working dog. Plus Halsey was totally mooching the attention as he rolled onto his back for a belly scratch. Something Larrin obliged him in.

Tex and Kat had left after lunch to see about schools and getting Kat enrolled. Tex was adamant about her finishing high school, something Kara had to agree with even if she didn't have any right to an opinion on the matter.

"Ok," Larrin said with a nod, Kara gave her a kind smile as she had to admit staying behind while others went out on a mission was not a new experience to her but today was the first time she wasn't acting as support in CIC. So she could understand Larrin's sense of being lost by the whole process. It wasn't like the guys and Alisha ran off for a weekend in Vegas. It was still dangerous out there and America was not the same place anymore.

"It'll be fine." Kara assured her.

"I know, I just want them to be safe." Larrin said, she knew what it was like out there and felt a tight knot in her stomach about them being out there even with their training and weapons. She paused in petting Halsey, he rolled onto his stomach and dropped his head down watching them as Larrin absently rubbed his back.

"They'll come back just fine. You know, I really appreciate you and Tex tearing apart my house to bring it into this era." Kara told her.

"I broke a wall." Larrin told her as she gave Kara an incredulous look not understanding how Kara could possibly appreciate her damaging her property.

"I don't mind. Oh, I found another lizard in the pantry." Kara said pulling the small statue out of the pocket of her apron and placing it on the bench. Larrin smiled as she got to her feet and moved the bench. She picked the lizard up in her hands.

It was really creepy looking but she had been slowly putting them all into Wolf's room with them all facing the door. So when he came home and walked into his room; he'd find them all staring at him like a dog waiting for its' owner to come home.

"Last night was a lot of fun." Larrin said as she remembered last night vividly. She kind of wished she had kissed Miller properly just once before he left. So she would know what it was like, but she also liked waiting, it made it feel all the more special, that she was treasured.

"You really like him don't you?" Kara asked, Larrin blushed at the question.

"He's a really nice guy who's fun to be with. I just hope he finds his Mom." Larrin said gently changing the topic as she really didn't want to create a fantasy relationship with Miller in her head of how great it'd be if the reality ended up differently.

"I think it's safe to say that we all hope we find our families alive and well." Kara said as she tossed the lettuce into a serving bowl that Larrin had put in tomatoes and avocados.

"Is Danny looking for your family?" Larrin asked, Kara shook her head.

"No, I just have my Mom and she's alive. I found her in Norfolk, just where I left when I deployed to the Arctic." Kara told her.

"Will she move down here?" Larrin asked, she noticed how Kara's features closed at the question and wondered if she had said something wrong.

"Ah I don't know, she will probably visit when the baby is born but it's a little complicated." Kara told her in an evasive manner. She didn't know how to explain to Larrin her fears of her mother the recovering alcoholic sliding off the wagon yet again.

It had been great seeing her mother sober and productive but it wasn't like she hadn't seen her that way before. Her mother always sobered when a man was in her life but the moment he left; emotionally or physically, she sank into the bottle. It was so hard to love her mother, as it left Kara being continually hurt and feeling as though she was never enough. That she wasn't worth much because her mother didn't think she was important enough to give up alcohol.

She knew she would have to call her mother but right now she had the fantasy that her mother was sober and living her life in Norfolk. She feared if she called it might be the opposite and now she was pregnant she had the hard choice of helping her mother or focusing on her future and child. She knew it sounded harsh but she didn't want her child knowing that side of his or her grandmother.

Drunk Debbie was a cruel and vicious woman, Kara had put up with it for years because for most part she didn't know any better and because she always thought she could one day be enough that her mother would sober up. It shaped the person she was, why she didn't drink, why she didn't date a lot of men. She didn't want nor need a man to validate her existence. Her career had been her focus point and then Danny had come along. He was really an aberration, he made her feel in a way no other man had before. It had thrilled her and scared the hell out of her at the same time. For all the mistakes they made over the short course of their relationship she'd come to realise that she loved him and didn't regret a moment of it.

"I'll tell you about it one day, just not today." Kara told Larrin.

"Fair enough." Larrin said letting it go. "So, do you know what's going to happen with reconnecting with other countries?" she asked.

"I don't know but I can ask around. I know given we have a cure it's now all about spreading it to everyone around the world." Kara told her.

"I'd like that." Larrin said, she knew it was a long shot but she would like to know if her family was alive. It also raised a lot of fears and other questions she wasn't sure how to answer. Right now she was living in a bubble where she could pretend her family was alive. If she found out otherwise- well, she couldn't think about it because it hurt too much.

"Do you think if you got the chance to go back to Australia you'd go?" Kara asked her out of curiosity. One of the questions Larrin was thinking of.

"Only if I had something to go home to but I doubt I'd know what to do there any better than I do right here and now." Larrin said a self deprecating laugh as she placed the lizard back on the bench. It really made her uneasy being so listless and without purpose.

"You don't have to any answers or do anything." Kara said wanting to lessen the burden from Larrin's shoulders.

"Except fix up your house." Larrin said with a teasing smile, Kara smiled.

"You don't have to do that." She told her in a serious tone so Larrin knew that it was optional for her.

"It's actually really cathartic to work with my hands." Larrin confessed to her, it did feel good to work in the house. It was a distraction but at least at the end she will feel as if she had finished something that would make Kara happy, it would be a home for her, Danny and their baby.

* * *

"I can't believe it took us 8 hours to drive something that'd take 2 hours." Miller said as he and the others sat around the dinner table of an abandoned house. It felt wrong being in the house of strangers but it was easier to stay in the house than set up a campsite. It was luckily early spring so they didn't really need to worry about heating or air conditioning. With no electricity they relied on the afternoon light to go over logistics.

"We knew it wouldn't be easier." Burk said as he took a sip of his coffee.

"True but there has to be a road somewhere that's more accessible." Wolf said as he looked down at the maps laid out on the table.

"According to Satellite images, we just need to get through this part of the highway and we'll have a clear run up until here." Alisha told them. It placed them just on the border of Iowa. "Commander Slattery wants us to stop at the town here and deliver some of the cure there. Apparently there's a group of immune people who go out and find supplies for the safe zones still intact in the region. If we give them the cure then they will spread it in their travels." Alisha added.

"They aren't immunes right?" Burk asked for clarification.

"Yeah, it was clarified that they are friendlies. It's too far North to be Ramsey's people and I doubt they'd want to help us." Alisha told them.

"But we'll proceed with caution." Wolf said more than asked as he didn't like how it sounded. He knew he wasn't the only one who was a bit edgy about meeting new people on their travels.

"Goes without saying." Danny said, it was why they were travelling in plain clothes than in their BDU's. They wanted to keep a low profile as much as possible as they were out in the wild alone with no back up. That and technically it wasn't a mission so they weren't suppose to wear their uniforms.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

* * *

The next morning,

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Tex asked Larrin as they were ripping up another slab of carpet, it was the last piece to come out of the top floor of the house. They'd decided to pull all the carpet out and then move onto the wallpaper and stripping off.

"You already have." Larrin said in a mocking manner, Tex gave her a droll look as he yanked on the carpet peeling it back even further to reveal beautiful floorboards, there weren't vanished but they were in great condition with very little wear and tear. It meant that they'd only have to sand them back a little and

"Smart ass." he said with an amused smile as he had left himself open for the joke.

"What?" Larrin said with a chuckle as she stood up and placed her hands on her hips and looked at him.

"Kat talk to you about the pandemic and being on the mainland?" He asked her, he watched as Larrin's features shuttered up. "You don't have to go into details, I just want to know she's talking to someone." Tex added as he wanted to bring it up with Kat but he was afraid by the time he found the right moment to do so that Kat would be completely closed up about it. Larrin looked at him as Kat and she talked about once but she knew it would come up again. She just didn't feel right sharing without Kat's permission but didn't want to be caught between her and her father either.

"Yeah, we've talked about it." Larrin admitted. Tex gave a nod.

"You'd tell me if I had to worry right?" he asked her, Larrin paused in her work and looked him seeing the concern in his eyes as she knew he wanted to know but didn't want to push her too much. The concern a father had for his daughter pulled at her heart strings as she wished her father had been the same.

"Sure, but she's ok." Larrin told him frankly, she truly believed it to. Sure, Kat like everyone else had experienced a horrible time during the pandemic, she lost her mother and her friends, the life she had once known but she was adapting well and coping with the loss as best as anyone her cage could. Tex gave a nod and they went back to work at pulling the carpet out for a few more minutes before Tex spoke up again.

"What was it like out there for you?" Tex asked.

"Lonely, frightening, loads of other negative adjectives." Larrin said with a wave of her hand and wry smile. Not that she didn't want to talk about it, she was just afraid of how Tex would think it was the same for Kat and frankly she was afraid of being pitied or worst looked at like she was broken.

"I saw how worried you were about the others setting off." Tex said casually.

"It's dangerous out there." Larrin said with a sigh, which to her felt like an understatement but then she wasn't a soldier. Sure she had skills but it wasn't the same, she sometimes wondered if it would have been easier if she had been military like Wolf. As if it would have made her choices easier.

"No doubt." Tex said in agreement.

"I know they'll be fine but it's just that I was alone, no weapons or food. Just me." Larrin said trying to explain away her worries but she was concerned for them.

"You survived, don't think that doesn't count for nothing." Tex said, he could see Larrin's mind running a million miles an hour on something bad.

"Yeah well, my Dad was Navy and felt us kids had it too easy. We needed to learn to survive and be tough. So we had martial arts lessons. Escape and evade training in the scrub from 10 years old up. Whoever aced his grade system was the 'perfect child'. So you know, he wasn't really impressed with my interest in playing with Barbies and wanting to be a scientist." Larrin said with a wry smile as she went back to ripping up the carpet again.

"Sounds like he was building an army." Tex said wryly as while he wasn't the best parent in the world but he never considered putting Kat through that kind of training though he was rethinking the self defense training for Kat. Just so she could protect herself if she was ever in trouble.

"In a way, he was unhinged." Larrin gave a shrugged, like it was just her version of normal. "After every time he came back from sea he'd go walkabout for a week. He'd come home with this wild look about him, he'd dump his gear onto the front verandah and just disappear. He'd always come back. Until one day he didn't." Larrin said with a another shrug, she had no idea why she was telling Tex this. Maybe she felt it would help him see that as a father he was doing a good job, but then she never hid what her family was like, she felt her upbringing was normal until she meet other people's parents. then she found out it was just weird to not be hugged or kissed by your father, that a lot of things her father did and was wasn't normal.

"How old were you?" Tex asked.

"19," Larrin said in manner that said it didn't really affect her. "Wolf and my brother tried to find him or his body for years but he was just gone. No trace." she said with another shrug, Tex was starting to see it was tell. That while she outwardly appeared fine and accepting of whatever she was talking about that there was deeper emotional play going on inside. Now that he thought about he noticed that Wolf did the same thing as well.

"How'd your mother take it?" Tex asked, he knew he should drop the subject but felt like it would be better to let it play out naturally in case Larrin felt he was shutting her down.

"She thinks he's still alive out there." Larrin said with a soft smile. "She genuinely believes that once he's straightened his head out that he'll be back." she added like she found it amusing which she did as her mother was caught up in her own world most of time but it wasn't a bad thing. She was still a fairly rational and functional person, she just liked to think the best of the situation. It kept her happy and Larrin was all for her mother being happy.

"You think that?" Tex asked her.

"I think that it's easier to believe someone is alive than feel the pain of their loss. But his absence is just as painful as the thought of him being dead. So to me there's no difference." Larrin told him honestly.

* * *

Wolf and the others had been driving for the last few hours, they'd been slowed down by road blockages and avoiding contact with the locals. It wasn't their intention to be invisible but they had seen a lot of profanity in graffiti aimed against the Navy and other Military bodies like the Air Force or Army.

Remnants of the Immunes and Valkyrie's propaganda against the Nathan James. They stopped for petrol and the owner had warned them about trusting the Navy or the cure nonsense. So they kept their mouths shut given they'd passed on the cure to the guy shaking his hand thanking him for the information. They had to hope his station was a popular place. They decided it was best to pretend they were drifters like everyone else just trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and get home.

The one warning that had them worried was about scavengers, apparently those who were immune but hadn't fallen into the cult of Immunes had turned into rovers running around and killing off survivors on the roads and stealing their supplies. They weren't worried about themselves but more for their families. The stories the man told weren't good and it made Wolf wonder if Larrin had been caught by them, she was a fighter but the problem was that she wasn't invincible.

"It's coming up." Miller told them as he was sitting in the front passenger seat, he'd been directing Wolf as he wanted to take in the place that had been his home for over 18 years before he joined the Navy. The one thing he liked about going home was they it never changed, sure it grew a little in population but otherwise it was still the quintessential small town with only one road in and out. There was a doctor's office, a bar, a convenience store that doubled as a petrol station, supermarket and hardware store. There was also a bakery and church. That was it besides his family bookshop.

The bookshop stayed in business because his mother had a coffee machine and people liked being around his mother because she was a good storyteller. She also used to babysit kids when they were too young to help the families during harvest and so they tended to get a lot of fresh food from trading services. It was a great place to grow up as they all held onto the old world of helping one another and never being shy of hard work.

"This is it?" Wolf asked as they slowly drove through the main street, there wasn't any signs of life as they passed by Miller's heart dropped into his stomach as red X's were painted on walls, windows were smashed on the buildings and the doors to the pub and convenience store were wide open. He knew the people who had owned those shops. He knew they would never have let it go like this. They had been proud of their businesses. They were just about to pass his mom's shop, he didn't even think as he opened the door and jumped out the car. Luckily Wolf had been driving slow enough so he didn't lose his footing but he heard Wolf and the other's shouting for him to stop.

He jumped up on the front porch barely noticing the layer of fine dirt that coated it telling him no one had been here in a while as he opened the front door to the shop. His mom never locked it, it just that kind of town. He stepped into old bookshop and looked around frantically for his mom.

"Mom?" he called out, he moved around the shop checking the aisles before moving to the front desk where the coffee machine and register had been. The register was trashed on the floor. He stepped over it to the office that was behind it and opened the door as it lead to the office and a staircase that lead upstairs to the apartment above. He raced up the stairs and looked around seeing no signs of her. Only then did he stop in his place.

"Miller!" Wolf shouted in an annoyed tone. "Dude, you shouldn't have jumped out like that." he chastised him as he was out of breath from getting geared up and chasing him.

"She's gone." Miller said in disbelief as he never thought she'd leave the shop. He always in a morbid way thought she'd died from old age in her shop than leave it.

"Well, she couldn't have been gone long." Wolf said as he looked over the small apartment. It was clean and well kept, but what stuck out was the lack of dust. Something that had to be a good sign.

* * *

Kara kicked off her shoes as she entered the house and moved to kitchen to grab herself a glass of water. She had spent the better part of the morning trying to find out what was happening with her bank account and pay. As well as putting out feelers about whether the new government was contacting their allies like Australia. she was rather surprised when Michener had come out and spoken with her personally about it. She figured he'd think she was below him, thus not worth his time.

Surprisingly, they ended up having what she felt to be a pretty good discussion where she told him about her house in a laughing manner not a complaining way, she said the difficulty of not having access to her money as she and the others she were living with would need some assistance in that regard until the banks were open and they could access their accounts. He listened to her problems and like any politician promised to get them fixed as soon as he could. She didn't really believe him because she preferred to seeing action than hearing promises but it was nice to be acknowledged for the moment.

He was even open to her discussion about Larrin and her situation. She didn't use her name but spoke of people who were displaced from their countries and asked how they would be helped them reconnect with home and find assistance in their current situation until flights were running to the countries of origin. His answer to that wasn't exactly pleasing as he said his priority was to the Americans first. She on one hand understood his position for focusing on getting the economy up and running again, something that was dependent on civilians with social security numbers and bank accounts working, paying their taxes and spending their money again. But he did say that it would be addressed as they would soon be mass producing the cure and distributing the cure to world which was better than nothing.

Either way after she left his offices and headed off to the hospital in search of an OB/GYN. She had some success, which was a relief as she hadn't wanted to rely on Rios. He was a good doctor but she figured the Nathan James would be back out at sea by the time she gave birth. She just wanted to have someone who could take up from Rachel and be with her through to the end. The hospital had a functioning maternity ward and her being military meant she didn't have to worry about medical costs as it was all covered. She met with the Doctor on staff and was able to book in an appointment for a proper check up and ultrasound. It wasn't normal to go the hospital for prenatal work up unless something was wrong but there wasn't any functioning medical centres for her to go to. So she made it for a couple week's time hoping Danny would be back in time so they could share it together.

From the brief radio conversation they had last night, it seemed like they were making slow but steady progress. She figured them to be in or near Miler's home town. She just hoped the rest of the trip went quickly and successfully for all them. She really wanted them all keep winning as they were given all the heart ache and losses they'd endured.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

* * *

"We got company." Burk announced as a lone figure on horseback galloped towards them down the main road. He, Alisha and Danny had stayed outside as Wolf chased after Miller. He felt like he was in a western movie as he saw a tumbleweed roll by. Hell all the shop fronts and houses were all old style architecture you'd expect in a western film and now a lone figure on horseback was riding towards them.

Alisha and Danny stayed in their positions with the rifles ready, as it was hard to believe one person would be out here without some sort of back up given the stories they were told at the gas station. They waited, tense as the rider drew near within a few moments the horse pulled to a stop and the rider pulled a shotgun from the saddle.

"Gun." Burk announced as he and the others raised their weapons.

"You better not be robbing me." the rider shouted at them in a gruff tone, it was hard to tell if it was a man or woman given the rider wore a heavy jacket and a hat pulled down on with a scarf covering their face.

"Look, we're not robbing you. So why don't you put the gun down." Burk told the rider.

"I don't think so. How about you tell me what you're doing here before I unman you." the rider told him, Burk opened his mouth to say something when Miller and Wolf stepped out on to the porch.

"Eric?" The gruff voice changed and Burk watched as the rider holstered the shotgun. then pulled off the scarf to show a woman in her early fifties with red hair and the same brown eyes as Miller. "That you Son?" she asked, she still had a low rough voice but it was more feminine now. If anything she sounded like Lauren Bacall.

"Mom?" Miller said shocked as his mother dismounted from the horse. He rushed towards her tears in his eyes as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh my sweet boy." his mother whispered in his ear. She pulled back and gripped his face with her hands and pressed a kiss to his forehead and cheeks. Tears streaked down her dust covered face. "Look at you." she said with a watery smile, before she embraced him again.

* * *

"How was your run?" Kara asked Kat. When Kat offered to take Halsey for a run, she had been a little worried about Halsey running the girl ragged. But Kat assured she'd be fine.

It was only when Tex mentioned Kat being a cross country runner that it made sense. Frankly they both felt it was safe for Kat to go running as Halsey would keep her safe. The only problem Halsey seemed to have was being leashed, it seemed Danny had gotten him into the habit of doing running drills on the ship with a leash. So he hadn't taken to being leashed for a run but he got over it as he realized he wouldn't be going for a stroll but a proper run. Obviously Kat's gait was shorter and slower than Danny's but he seemed pretty happy and Kat didn't look like she'd been harassed by a big dog dragging her.

"Good, I'm a little out of practice but Halsey was kind to me." Kat said as she unhooked Halsey's leash from his collar freeing him. Even he was panting for air which said it was a good time as Kara knew Halsey was a working dog, one who needed structure and a lot exercise. So it was good to have other people around to share in the exercising part as she just didn't have the stamina to keep up with him in her pregnant state. "I think he'll need a run later in the day." Kat added.

"I recommend passing the torch onto your father or maybe Larrin." Kara told her with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm beat. How was your morning?" Kat asked her as she stretched out her legs.

"Productive. So you excited about school next week?" Kara asked.

"Not really but I agree with Dad, it's important that I finish high school. I just don't know what I'll do about college." Kat said looking a little down about it as Kara knew college cost a lot of money no matter what the degree. She felt Kat was bright enough to get a scholarship but whether those programs still existed and were accessible was another question entirely.

"Well, you got a few years before you need to think about that." Kara said hoping to assuage Kat's concerns.

"But gotta save for it." Kat said, Kara had to admit she was surprised that a 14 yr old would be so practical. But then Kat seemed more mature than most teenagers Kara had ever encountered.

"It's an admirable goal. I'm sure the banks will be operational in the future have you already started saving?" Kara asked.

"Yeah but it's not much."

"Well it takes time to save but if your savvy, you'll get part of the way and I'm sure your Dad will kick in the rest." Kara told her, she knew Tex well enough to know he probably already had a college fund set up for Kat and if he didn't he'd find a way to get Kat to college if it was what she really wanted.

* * *

"Mom, let me help." Miller said as he picked up the coffee laden tray from his mother's hands and carried it over to one of the tables in the shop that they were all sitting.

"I'm fine, now I know I don't have much. I think I have enough that I could bake a cake." Barbara offered nervously as she came over to the table. She felt like she was in some kind of dream that she'd wake up from and be alone all over again waiting for her son to come home.

"Coffee is just fine, Mom." Miller said wanting his Mom to just sit down and relax. She looked like she was expecting them all to evaporate.

"Ma'am don't go to trouble. The coffee is welcome enough." Danny said to Mrs Miller, he could see where Miller got his nervous nature which was amusing given the woman had only half an hour ago been ready to shot Burk in the crotch.

"I'm sorry for how I acted early. But Scavengers have been in the area picking over the remains of empty towns." Barbara told them as she sat down at the table next her son. She was so surprised at how much he had changed. It wasn't just physically but also his demeanour. He seemed more comfortable in his own skin and his posture was straighter something she figured came from his military training and the confidence instilled in him from his work.

"Scavengers?" Burk asked.

"Hmm, they work for the Regents who built walls around their towns and cities. They cut themselves off from the rest of America claiming parts of it for themselves; like small colonies. They only take in survivors if they pass a 96 hour quarantine and they shoot anyone who has signs of the Red Flu. They use the scavengers to source things that they can't get from inside their walls. They also transport goods between different colonies." Barbara told them.

"The Scavengers must be immune." Alisha commented.

"They come through here?"

"Once or twice but that was back in the early days when majority of the town was alive." Barbara took her son's hand in hers and looked at him. "People started dying, and the rest fled. Once the petrol and canned goods were gone they left the place alone but I stayed because I knew you'd always come home." She told her son with a soft smile and squeezed his hand.

* * *

"Ow- Son of a gun!" Tex cursed as he jumped slightly in his chair. He probably would have popped up higher but Kara gripped his hand in a firm grip.

"Stop fussing, it's just a splinter and I nearly have it." Kara told him as she used a sterilised sewing needle to pry a splinter out of Tex's hand. She nearly had it too until Tex flinched. Now she had to start from scratch. It made her wonder why he came to her for help to begin with.

"It would have worked it's way out." Tex informed her as he wished he never mentioned it or agreed to Kara treating it. It was just annoying the hell out of him.

"You're grouchier than the Lion in the fable. Sit still." Kara told him. Tex gave her a look that she could swear aged him by 40 years as she could just imagine as kid looking annoyed at being told to sit. Though she still couldn't imagine Tex without a beard so the imagery in her head of a bearded child made her smile.

"Maybe if you weren't digging for gold you'd find it." Tex told her, Kara looked at him with an amused expression.

"Maybe if you got glasses then you wouldn't need my 20/20 vision to help you." She said teasingly as she looked down at his finger poking around to get the splinter out.

"Cute, but my vision is perfect. It's just an annoying and minuscule piece of wood." Tex told her, Kara chuckled as she reached for the tweezers.

"Uhuh, so why weren't you working with gloves?" She asked him.

"It had a hole in it." Tex said.

"So I saw Michener this morning." Kara told him,

"You did?" Tex asked, he didn't know why but he felt that Michener believed he was a cut above them. So it was a surprise to know he would have talked to Kara.

"Purely by accident. I was asking about when the banks were going to reopen among other things." Kara said, she pulled the splinter out and held it in the tweezers to show Tex before she placed it on a tissue nearby.

"Thank you and did the President give you an answer?" Tex asked judging by the fact that she waited all day to tell him about it meant it wasn't good. But grateful she'd gotten the splinter out as it was one less thing to worry about.

"Not really, just the 'We're working on it.' and no real promises." Kara told him with a sigh, Tex smiled as he hated politicians, they said one thing and always did another so he wasn't surprised that Michener would be any different now he held office.

"I'm sure he won't leave you and Nathan James crew out in cold. You guys deserve more than free housing, and given money is still the going currency then he has to make it his first order to get your accounts opened and backpay for the past few months." Tex pointed out,they all would need money and jobs at some point but it would be nice to to have their savings to help give them all a small holiday and time to reintegrate with society.

"I'm a little more worried about Larrin." Kara admitted, sure the money aspect was important if they all wanted to continue their habit of eating but it wasn't what was bothering her the most.

She was worried about Larrin, given Wolf left her in their care; Kara felt like she was older sister in their dynamic. She wanted to help Larrin feel like she was part of family and not alone. She knew if Larrin went in search of work, she'd be met by rejection just because she wasn't American. Something Kara thought was stupid given Larrin had education and skills that were in high demand for continuing Rachel's work and the proliferation of the cure.

"Why?" Tex asked.

"I sort of asked in a round about way about how I could help her. You know with possible access to ration supplies, work opportunities and he made it sound as though people like Larrin who were displaced by the pandemic here are a low priority. He says it's up to the consulates to look after their displaced citizens but there aren't any that are active here in St Louis." Kara told him.

"Well, the Government has to focus on it's constituents first. It's not great but it's just the way the world turns." Tex said being pragmatic even if he didn't like what Kara was saying.

"I was thinking that we just keep Larrin busy with the renovations so she doesn't find out so soon." Kara suggested, hoping they could shelter her away from the outside world until Michener had a better handle on what he was doing and hopefully had a better way to help people as one whole group instead of segregating them based on citizenship status.

"She'll clue in." Tex told her, Kara nodded as she agreed Larrin was too bright not to notice their change in tune when Tex had been adamant she go out and find a part time job to challenge her intellectually.

"I know but I just want to protect her. She's been through so much. I don't want her to feel alienated." Kara explained, Tex nodded as he too cared about their little make shift family and it's members.

"Well, I guess it's lucky your place needs an overhaul." Tex said in an amused manner.

"About that, I think Commander Garnett would come and look over the house. To see if it's structurally sound to renovate the way we'd like." Kara said in a slightly questioning tone that said Tex that he was going to be roped into something.

"And?" he asked with a smile.

"She really loves ice cream-"

"I'm not taking Garnett on a date for you. She's a good looking woman but I'm not interested." Tex told her, Kara laughed and shook her head as Tex hadn't let her finish her sentence.

"No, I need you go and find some nice people who have the ingredients to make ice cream and key lime pie. I was going to invite her over for dinner as payment for looking over the place for us." Kara explained as she figured the Commander would happily enjoy a free meal and her favourite dessert on offer for quick survey of Kara and Danny's house.

"Why can't you go shopping?" Tex asked.

"We don't have a lot of money and you can make it stretch better than me since you have a way with women. I'm sure the people at the supermarket would let you open a tab." Kara told him as she looked at the house they were sitting in to know that Tex just had a gift of making good things happen.

"At least there'll be dessert in my future." Tex said in good humour.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

* * *

The following morning,

"I don't like the sound of these scavengers." Danny said to Wolf, Burk and Alisha. Miller would have been included but he was currently trying to convince his mother to come with them than stay in the ghost town that was formally Miller's hometown.

"Larrin vaguely mentioned them, said they weren't the kind of people you want to cross paths with. Frankly, I find that the less she has to say usually means it's bad. I know for a fact she never travelled this far north. So she wouldn't know what we're walking into up north." Wolf told them.

"That gas station attendant didn't say anything about them at all." Alisha pointed out.

"Yeah but he was very anti-military. Can we really trust a guy who lives in the middle nowhere but has a functioning gas station and stock to sell. He probably uses them to get what he needs or is one of them." Danny pointed out.

"True but if Mrs Miller's intel is correct we're going to run into more problems than Scavengers." Wolf said reminding them all of how Mrs Miller had given them some pretty good insight into the territory they were heading into. They expected to hit safe zones but from what they all understood was safe zones were nothing but glorified camping grounds. What Barbara described sounded more organised and heavy duty.

"Agreed, we have two cars now. So we could split up, that way Mrs Miller doesn't get caught in thick of it with us." Danny said formulating a plan. He just wished there was a functioning airport for them to get Mrs Miller to St Louis directly but there wasn't. So if she decided to join it meant they'd have to look out for her.

"The woman was ready to blow my nuts off with a shotgun. I think she'll be fine." Burk commented wryly. Wolf and the others smiled as they found it pretty funny that Mrs Miller was tough as nails but once the veneer was lifted; well she was just like every other Mom in the world who worried about everyone being taken care of and well fed.

* * *

"Mom, I'd really like you to come back to St Louis. I have friends we can stay with until we can find a place." Miller said to her, the next morning. They'd stayed the night in town. Miller had slept in his old room that had felt really weird being home. He just always held the dream that it would be untouched and everyone would be just hanging around waiting for the cure.

But now it was a ghost town, one he wanted to get his mother out of. But she looked reticent at leaving, part of him understood that she hadn't travelled further than the next town over. It wasn't that she had no interest in the outside world, it was just a matter of funds.

"Honey, my whole life is here." Barbara told him in a kind but sad way. Miller frowned as he wondered why she would want to stay. All he saw was an empty town.

"But there isn't anything here. Mom, please come with me. We can always come back for the stuff." Miller begged her, he knew the other's were eager to hit the road and they'd found an old pick up that was still in good order so they could travel more comfortably than being crammed in the SUV.

"Or I could stay and then you can come back." Barbara told him, she didn't want to tell him that she'd already been out in the world and what she saw frightened her. Here in her home town she felt secure, she knew the lay of the land and could protect herself. If she left it would be leaving behind a large part of who she was and she wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"My job is in St Louis. Please, I want you somewhere safe. St Louis is safe, you could work in a library or another bookstore or whatever you want. But at least I know you wouldn't be alone. Please Mom." Miller begged him, Barbara looked at her son seeing that he was desperate for her to leave with him. He never begged her for anything which meant it was important for her to go. She pressed her lips into a fine line and looked around the bookshop that she'd lived in all her life then back to her son.

"Ok, let me pack a bag." Barbara told him, she saw the relief and joy in her son's eyes that told her she made the right choice even if she wasn't comfortable with it.

"Thank you Mum." Miller told her.

* * *

"This isn't fun." Kat told Larrin who laughed as they were stripping wallpaper off the walls of the main bedroom upstairs. They'd scored the walls with a knife and then used a sponge to soak the walls with diluted liquid detergent to soften the paste. So now they were slowly peeling off what would pull off the wall and leaving the more stubborn bits for later to pry off with a scraper.

"I know, but it has to be done." Larrin said as she looked at the pink and purple swirl wallpaper and pulled off a large chunk of it, tossing it on the drop sheet behind them.

"I'm going to school next week." Kat said making conversation.

"I know, I'm jealous. I'd join you but I'd be bored since I've already done high school. Though year 9 was my favourite grade." Larrin said with a chuckle. Kat smiled as she could just imagine Larrin in class but more like her being at the front of the class teaching it. Not as a class member.

"You going job hunting soon?" Kat asked.

"Not yet, to be honest I'm not really ready to go out there. It's a little weird how normal this place is so I'm just waiting for the fallout." Larrin told her, she hated being a negative about the world but after what happened with her PhD and the world falling apart. How people treated her because of her accent, it just left her nervous about leaving the bubble of safety she was in now.

"I get it." Kat said to her, she was worried about going to school.

"You know that all the other people at school will have been through the same stuff as you. You won't be alone. You'll make friends." Larrin assured her.

"I know," Kat said quietly as she went back to stripping the wallpaper off the wall in front of her.

* * *

"Good to go?" Danny asked as he pulled to old pick up truck in front of the shop. Wolf, Burk and Alisha had gone a head to scout the roads and get the lay of the land.

"Yeah," Miller said as he placed his Mom's bag into the tray bed of the truck. She hadn't packed light but he wasn't going to begrudge her that as she was going to come with him back to St Louis. He knew it was selfish but he wanted her with him. He wanted to know that when the Nathan James sailed again, she wouldn't be alone as she'd have Lt Foster and

"I'm driving." Barbara said as she held out her hand to Danny for the keys.

"Ma'am with respect, the roads are a little dicey." Danny told her, he watched as Barbara kept her hand out and gave him a rather snooty look.

"I have over thirties years of driving with not one accident on my record. Can you say the same, young man?" She asked him. Danny looked to Miller for help but the man just kept his mouth shut. The bad part was that Danny couldn't really say he had a clean driving record though in his defence most of his scrape ups happened on mission but he couldn't tell Mrs Miller that so he handed her the keys.

* * *

"Lunch!" Kara called into her house. She had to admit it was mess but looking better by the hour as she walked in seeing that majority of the carpets were gone which was a major improvement. She heard movement as Kat and Larrin came down the stairs.

"I'm starved." Larrin said as she and Kat came down the stairs to greet Kara.

"I'm not surprised given it's 1pm." Kara said with a laugh as she pulled a small scrap of wallpaper from Larrin's hair.

"Thanks, it's messy work." Larrin said as she took the scrap of paper and stuffed it in her pocket to throw out later. "Hey, have you seen Tex? He said he was off for supplies but he's been gone all morning." Larrin added as the three women left the house and headed next door for lunch.

"He went to go get a few things from the shops. He'll be back later." Kara told her.

"What things?" Kat asked out of curiosity and to join the conversation.

"I'm making key lime pie and he's better at sourcing things." Kara informed her.

"Key lime pie? I've never had it. Will I like it?" Larrin asked as she had never heard of it before but she had pretty low expectations when it came to food. So she'd eat about anything to survive.

"I have a feeling you'll like it but I'm using it to bribe a co-worker of mine to look over the house." Kara told her so Larrin wouldn't get her hopes up. She had yet to find out where Commander Garnett was residing but she'd worry about that after Tex came home with the ingredients. She just hoped that Garnett was in a good mood as the woman was a little hard to read these days given the grief she was enduring from losing not just her family but also many of her engineering crew.

"Can I lick the bowl? Assuming there is a bowl to licked." Larrin asked her in a hopeful manner.

"Sure." Kara said with a chuckle at Larrin's compromise.

* * *

"You said they had a fence. I was expecting something made out of chicken wire. Not Shipping containers." Danny said to Mrs Miller, they'd been driving for over a day to where Alisha had last spoken to her girlfriend Sarah. She'd last been in Milwaukee, so they drove north east for most of the day when they were just on the outskirts ow Waukesha that they encountered the wall.

It was two shipping containers tall and covered barbed wire at the tops. The wall spanned a good distance but didn't seemed to be manned as they hadn't seen anyone on the top of the containers. In fact it was all quiet which was unnerving to say the least given their travels had been uneventful.

It seemed like majority of America was just filled with what Mrs Miller liked to call 'Dead Zones' as they were either ghost towns completely devoid of human life or like Gitmo; filled with rotting remains. It was shocking to realise just how devastating the pandemic had been to their country. None of them really knew what to expect but this new world was disorientating. The fact that they could drive for miles and not encounter another person made Danny uncomfortable, as it made him wonder where everyone was. Why they hadn't seen any scavengers as of yet but then Danny had a feeling it was just a matter of time given how close they were to a populated area.

"They were brought in to make one of the first cordon sanitaires. They expanded it in the months afterwards or so I'd been told. I've never been this far east. I just heard travellers on the road talk about it." Barbara told them, as they drove parallel to the wall to find some form of checkpoint or entry.

"But those quarantine zones are supposed to keep the sick in." Miller said as he remembered Larrin talking about them and how she had been trapped inside one for a time.

"Well, I guess the scavengers cleaned out the sick and the Regent moved the people in." Barbara speculated.

"Does he really call himself a 'Regent'?" Danny asked her as he thought it was pretty stupid.

"She does, yes. After the government dissolved, the safe zones fell apart. Those that remained intact became their own little colonies and forts. As the months progressed and there was no hope of a cure. They built up walls." Barbara said as she looked at the walls out the car window wondering why they were even tried when it all looked foreboding to her.

"Of shipping containers? This far east?" Danny said in disbelief as he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He knew it would make a for a good radio call home as it would definitely interest the Commanders and the President.

"I watched on the news when they set up the first one. They were flown in, I'd say they procured the rest via cranes and trucking them in." Barbara said pointing out the obvious.

"I wonder how big this territory is." Danny said.


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, I love them and apologies as my geography and spatial awareness are hideous. Otherwise please continue to enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 22

* * *

"Lime Syrup?" Kara said in disbelief as she could understand not being able to find fresh limes. She also knew lime cordial would be a hard ask though bottled lime juice she would have expected to be the easiest. Not Lime dessert topping used for milkshakes and ice cream sundaes in fact she'd never heard of it until Tex brought the bottle home with all the other ingredients. Though his idea of cream was something that came fresh and direct from dairy farm not what came in the supermarket after being homogenised and pasteurised in a factory. So it was definitely going to be very interesting. She definitely wasn't complaining in fact she was just grateful to have whatever Tex could scrounge.

"Yeah, can you make it work?" Tex asked her.

"I can try, thank you for this." She said sincerely.

"No problem, the people at the farms needed some welding done. So it's quid pro quo." Tex said with a shrug, downplaying the fact he'd been gone all day and came home exhausted but with nearly everything Kara had on her list plus some extra food. He'd gone to the supermarket realising their money wasn't going to stretch far so he drove out further outside the city to where the farms were. He figured he could trade skills for food and it had worked out well.

The farmers didn't have soft hearts as they heard every sad story invented but they were happy for Tex to do some work on the farm. Given they'd lost a lot of their skilled staff, they looked at his past experience as a blessing. So he'd spent most of the day fixing engines and welding pipework to get the farm back into working order. He and the owner struck up a friendship and given how efficient Tex had been the owner gave him some extra food as incentive to get him back out the next day to keep working on repairing the farm.

"Well, I still really appreciate it."

"Had to sweet talk a cafe owner out of that syrup but I do have a job offer that will keep us in milk, cheese and whatever is ready harvest." Tex said, mentioning what he felt to be good and bad news. Good news meant they'd have a steady supply of food not enough to keep them well fed but enough to stop them from dying from starvation but bad news meant it'd slow down work on Kara's house.

"Do you want to take it?" Kara asked out of curiosity than concern for her house.

"Yeah, I think it's a smart move for the time being." Tex said, it was a long commute but he felt it was worth it as long as he could find a steady source of petrol. He figured he could hit up the Air force yard or the dockyard where the Nathan James was for it given he was going to supporting Kara and Larrin who were technically dependants of both Australian Navy and US Navy.

"Then do it." Kara told him as she didn't want him to feel beholden to her when him renovating their home was a favour not work. It definitely wasn't going to keep Kat and the rest of them fed.

"Means delays on your home." Tex told her.

"I know but we all have a roof over our heads because of you. The fact you'd bring in food now is more important than my house getting renovated. As long as you don't mind Danny and I being in your granny flat for a little while longer." Kara said with a smile.

"Not at all, as long as you make my lunch. Can I have it in a brown paper bag with those little notes in them?" Tex asked her.

* * *

"Well, what do you think, Sir?" Miller asked as they had to divert from their original course of travelling parallel to the wall as they encountered roads cluttered with abandoned cars and buildings that had fallen into disrepair. It looked like riots had torn through the places surrounding the wall as a lot of the houses were sprayed with red 'x' signs, many were burned out and others just smashed windows and broken doors.

What was unnerving was the lack of people and the wall. So they had headed south of the wall hoping to find a clear path before they encountered a small group of 10 people. They had been wary of them, it was hard to see why as the people were filthy and half starved. They didn't have much supplies with them except for the clothes on their backs, gas masks, gloves and small backpacks.

Miller and the others gave them some food and water but it was hard listening to their stories as they told them how the scavengers had attacked their safe zone and ransacked all the supplies before leaving them to die. It had taken them days to scrounge what they could to trek to Milwaukee as they heard from other travelers that it was a safe haven. The way people talked about the place one would believe it was the land of Milk and Honey. By seeing the state of the country the day and half Miller could understand why Larrin saw St Louis as some kind of wonderful dream. He just couldn't imagine living through the hell that destroyed their country.

Either way the people were kind enough to give them directions to a check point before they continued on. Danny had made the call not join the small group of strangers as he wanted to be more prudent and see what they could find out first instead of walking in blind. It turned out to be a good move given that he , Danny and Alisha stood on the 40th floor of an old business building about 4 blocks away from the check point. They had to walk the flights up but they had a bird's eye view looking down at the point and what was beyond.

"I think that we need to contact home, these people look fairly well set up. Maybe we can cut the queue with a well placed radio call." Danny said as there was a long queue to get into the safe zone. The check point was one shipping container gap in the wall, it had a barbed wire fence. Just inside the fence was one lane road going in and some kind processing centre as it had more shipping containers that acted as doorways or as Mrs Miller had called them 'Quarantine rooms' as they were labelled as such as he saw people in Hazmat suits conversing with the people coming in and directing them to go inside them. It was patrolled by at least six police officers dressed in riot gear and armed to the teeth. There were snipers inside the safe zone on buildings nearby directed at the checkpoint.

"I have to say that I don't want to end up in quarantine for 96 hours." Alisha commented as she looked through the binoculars watching the scene below. She waited months and sure 4 more days would be nothing but she didn't want to wait anymore. She didn't want to sweat it out in a shipping container to find out Sarah was not there or worse dead.

"Maybe if they are open to it, they'll accept an allotment of the cure. There's an airport 40 minutes away. They could fly it up and we can get your Mom to hitch a ride back to St Louis." Danny added as he liked the idea more than trying to get into the safe zone the long way and having Miller's mom safely transported to St Louis definitely held it's own appeal.

* * *

"I'm sorry but we can't give you a job. I have a few that would be perfect but I can't." The recruiter said as she looked through the pages of the survey Larrin had filled out in the waiting from with about 50 other people and they were just the first ones through the door. She'd been up since 6am and made the rounds of all the hospitals and the university to find work to be redirected to the employment agency that was helping people get work in St Louis. Now it was the afternoon, she hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast and this woman was telling her 'No'.

"Why not?" Larrin asked her.

"You're illegal immigrant with no way of backing up your claims of being so highly educated or your job history." The woman told her, Larrin frowned at the choice of language.

"I didn't purposefully break laws to come or stay here. I'm stuck here because of the pandemic. There aren't any ships or planes to get me home. I'm a refugee" Larrin said getting upset as she didn't like the insinuation that she was trying to steal work away from a legitimate citizen of the country.

"You don't have any official paperwork to show that you have asylum or anything to prove you have rights to apply for a work visa or even the reciprocal citizenship the Senator is installing for people like you." The woman said, Larrin's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the phrase 'people like you'. But she kept her opinions to herself and took a deep breath to remain calm.

"How do I get the paperwork for any of that?" Larrin asked in a patient manner.

"You'd have to go to your consulate first where they do everything that they can do to establish that you are in fact a'refugee' though they'd us the term 'displaced citizen' and that they can't get you back to your country of origin. Then they apply to our government on your behalf to stay and it goes on from there where you'll be given a temporary social security number and benefits until you've found employment to support yourself." She explained to Larrin in an quick and harassed manner as she didn't care what happened to Larrin and just wanted her out of her office.

"Has anyone managed to get this mythical 'citizenship' or 'refugee' status yet?" Larrin asked her, it seemed to tick off the woman on the other side of the desk as she clasped her hands together and leaned forward giving Larrin a no nonsense look.

"Look, I know it's unfair but we're rebuilding our society, we have to prioritise those-"

"Who are American." Larrin finished for her, the woman gave her a dark look as she obviously refused to admit it as it would mean the US government was alienating innocent foreigners caught up in a global disaster. Which wasn't good for their image.

"People who are already established in our databases with social security numbers and identities we can verify. People who pay taxes to support the services that we need to function as a society." The woman clarified.

"So what am I supposed to do given there is no Australian Consulate that's currently operational anywhere in the US?" Larrin asked her, trying to remain calm even though she was thoroughly frustrated and ready to cry.

"There has to be one somewhere. So I suggest you find it and until then I wish you the best of luck." She said as she pulled the survey form from the clipboard and handed it to Larrin; dismissing her.

Larrin took the papers and tore them in half leaving them on the desk. She knew it was a petulant move but she was angry. She left the office feeling like she'd wasted her time and a little depressed as she couldn't catch a break.

Once she was outside of the building she started walking home, she was just glad she hadn't mentioned what she was up to this morning with the others. She could now pretend there was still hope when there wasn't frankly she'd rather been seen as lazy for not trying than an failure because no one was willing to cut her a break. She was halfway down the block when she felt something drag across her back. She turned and in a blur her bag was off her shoulder as a guy running away with it.

"Oh hell no!" Larrin said as she took after him. She push through the crowds and saw him duck into a corner she followed him but when she rounded the same corner he had, she came to a stop. It was a dead end.

She looked around the area and moved slowly into it but as soon as she made two steps, the thief popped out of his hiding spot and rushed her. He pushed her over and she fell hard, so hard her head bounced on the pavement, her vision clouded over with sparks and stars as a wave of disorientation washed over her. She tried to get up but froze in pure fear as the thief straddled her. He leaned over her and she finally saw his face. It wasn't possible, she'd escaped him in Colorado.

"I have to say, I never thought we'd cross paths again mon petit Lapin." he told her.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

* * *

"Dude, what are you going to do with Larrin?" Burk asked Wolf, as they were waiting for Danny and the others to come back. He knew he'd been swapped for Miller because Miller would be distracted by his mom than being alert for trouble.

"Larrin is my younger sister. She's living with our buddy Tex and his daughter Kat, along with Danny's girlfriend Kara. She was supposed to be in Sydney but last minute trip to US brought her here." Wolf explained to Mrs Miller who was waiting patiently with them.

"Was she with you when the pandemic happened?" Mrs Miller asked.

"No, I was in Little Creek from what I know she was somewhere on the west coast on her own." Wolf said regrettably as he wished she had been at his side because all could think about was her enduring every possible worst case scenario. "And what Larrin chooses to do is her business as long it's nothing dangerous." Wolf added answering Burk's question.

"My, she must be a real tough one." Mrs Miller said.

"Our Dad built us tough. We lived on a property that backed onto bushland so he would take us out into the scrub and teach how to survive on the land with limited supplies among other stuff." Wolf assured her with a smile but it only made Mrs Miller look at him like he was odd.

"Here I thought it was the Navy that made you hardy." Burk commented drily, Wolf didn't talk much about his childhood but Burk knew it wasn't normal like his. There were just things about Wolf that were a little off, like how he was coldly pragmatic about the world in general instead of being surprised by human nature. When Ravit had died, Burk had been angry, he wanted vengeance part of him still did but Wolf was just quietly resigned as if it was all normal. He was upset but he hadn't felt angered by the injustice of it.

"Nah, Navy is a breeze after my childhood." Wolf half joked, he felt that his and Larrin's childhood was the only reason that Larrin survived as long as she had. "You grow up in a country filled with deadly animals and insects that hide in the scrub. That's Darwinian working at it's best." he added with a chuckle.

"You forgot the Vegemite, that stuff is disgusting." Burk told him making a face.

"Puts hair on your chest and steel into your backbone, Mate." Wolf said teasingly, as he carried a jar with him everywhere. So of course as a nice bridging of cultures he shared it. He hadn't been an ass about it by watching them eat a teaspoon of it pretending it was Nutella. No, he taught them how it was really supposed to be eaten because he wasn't wasting any of it. Even in small doses it was an acquired taste that luckily none of Nathan James could get behind which was good for him as it meant he didn't have to share the rest.

"I think it's quite delicious." Mrs Miller said to him.

"You got Vegemite in these parts?" Wolf asked as he wanted to start looking for more given he would run out in time.

"No, but I used to have online pen pals who sent me care packages and vice versa. I really liked it spread on Sao's with butter." Mrs Miller told him with a dreamy smile.

"Mmm the best or on toast with garlic and avocado." He said nodding his head in agreement. He had to admit talking to Miller's mum really made him see where Miller got a lot of his personality from. She was really nice and polite woman yet had a backbone. She was definitely not a doormat of a woman but then she probably grew that grit from months of being on her own.

"I never tried that." She said thoughtfully.

"We'll have to find some more Vegemite. I'm already running low." Wolf said as he kind of

"Yeah, like we'll find that anywhere in America." Burk scoffed.

"Got to be an shop that imported foreign foods." Wolf argued in good humour.

* * *

Larrin sat in the hospital's emergency department waiting room with the police officer assigned to her. Without her passport the police hadn't believed that she wasn't an adult. So they had assigned an officer to sit with her until someone rocked up to claim her.

Not like the police had been thrilled to help her. When her attacker had broken her arm, she'd scream from the pain which had brought the attention of some people. So he'd run off but not without taking her bag with him. It seemed without a passport or official papers to prove that she was refugee or in possession of reciprocal citizenship status. Well, she was a nobody and it didn't matter that she knew her attacker's name and could describe him because the man she described sounded like '60% of the male population' and well, everyone had a name.

It was like talking to a brick wall, so she gave up as the Police's main priority was getting her out of the station while appearing to do their due diligence which was why she was sitting next to Officer Brody in the ER waiting to be seen by a doctor. Never in her life had she felt so insignificant. So irrelevant as she watched people with the sniffles and sprained ankles get prioritized over her. She had a broken arm, nose and at least two ribs. Probably a concussion as she was just throbbing lump of pain and nausea. The only thing that was just stopping her from making a noise was that she didn't want to draw attention to herself anymore than she had. She was also sure that if she truly acknowledged the pain and fear coursing through her veins she would panic and fall apart. Something that was not conducive to keeping a low profile as she knew he'd be back for her.

"Larrin?" Kara asked in shock, Larrin looked to her and watched Kara as she rushed over to them.

"Ma'am." Officer Brody said stopping in front of Kara. "I need to see some identification." he said. Kara frowned but complied.

"I'm Lieutenant Kara Foster, your partner came to my house and informed me." Kara said, she showed him her military ID before she crouched down in front of Larrin and carefully assessed her. She didn't touch Larrin as she was afraid of aggravating her pain. But she could see the broken arm and nose. The blood on her face and the bruising contrasted harshly against her pale skin as Larrin looked incredibly fragile. "Why is she sitting out here? Where's the doctor?" Kara demanded.

"There's a line." Officer Brody told her.

"She should've been triaged to the front of it." Kara told him. She looked at him incredulously as anyone with medical training could see Larrin needed immediate attention.

"Not how the system works anymore." Officer Brody told her. Kara shook her head and looked to Larrin. "I'm going to get you a Doctor." she told her, Larrin looked at her and barely nodded her head as tears streaked down her face of their own volition.

* * *

"This is unnerving." Mrs Miller said as they drove to the closest airport near Milwaukee safe zone which turned out to be General Mitchell International Airport. They bypassed the main terminals heading to the one of the main runways large and long enough for a Hercules to land. The only good part about the pandemic was that when the planes had been grounded they'd been neatly parked at the terminals. The months of sitting idle gave the airport a feel of vacancy and desolation as there was no one around to maintain the upkeep or so they assumed as there hadn't been anyone to greet them.

Danny wished he'd brought an infrared scope as he really didn't like this. They'd made contact with St Louis and apprised the Captain and Commander of what they'd encountered and their idea of offering the cure in exchange for information or safe passage. Apparently the Senator of Missouri knew the Regent of the Milwaukee safe zone and made contact for them. Apparently the Regent was open to the exchange but only for information as she wasn't interested in opening her territory to Danny and the others.

So the Regent said she'd send her second to meet them at the airport runway which a Hercules from St Louis carrying cure and supplies would meet them. It also meant they could send Mrs Miller safely back to St Louis. Danny knew Miller would feel a lot better once his Mom was safe and among their friends. He hadn't been game to ask him how he felt at the fact that Miller's Mom would be meeting Larrin. The girl he was unofficially dating. Danny was looking forward to seeing that unfold but not so much when Mrs Miller would find out Kara was pregnant as he doubted that he'd look like a great guy given how the situation looked on the outside.

"The plane will land in the next half an hour, and take off as soon as the cargo is unloaded. You'll be in St. Louis in an hour and 10 minutes." Danny told her.

"I've never flown anywhere before." Mrs Miller said as she looked out the car windows with wide eyes like she'd never seen an airport or imagined planes to be so big. Danny had to admit the lack of visible human presence was unnerving to him as it made him keep wondering where the people were.

"It's fun. Mom. You'll like it." Miller assured her. "And you'll get to meet all my friends." he added.

"I look forward to that." Mrs Miller told him with a smile. Danny pulled the car to a stop a few kilometers away from the designated meet as he couldn't park on the runway given a plane was going to land on it soon. Burk, Alisha and Wolf had split off from them to be the lookout for when the group from Milwaukee showed up. Danny had a bad feeling about it as they were just a tiny group and they hadn't really prepared for this kind situation. Miller and he stepped out of the car looking around the area as they held their guns at the ready.

"Wolf, what's your status?" Danny asked over the radio.

" _In position, no signs of any life but the birds."_ He relayed.

"Here come's the plane." Miller said gesturing to the sky.

* * *

"Larrin Taylor? The young woman over there who clearly should lying down in a bed being seen by a doctor not sitting in a chair." Kara said to the nurse at the admittance desk, she'd already repeated Larrin's name twice which made her question the efficiency of the woman in front of her. She felt like she was some kind of twilight zone.

She was never one to shout or get visibly angry at people when she was in a frustrating situation but right now she was ready to scream down the bloody ward to get someone to show an ounce of care. She'd been trying for the past 10 minutes trying to get an answer as to why Larrin wasn't getting prioritised over a guy who clearly had a cold and the little girl who had a 'yucky' tummy but yet to show any signs of actually being sick. The nurse looked to where Kara was pointing and her face lit up with recognition. She pulled the file they had on her and flipped it open.

"Oh, the foreigner." She said looking at the file, her want to help Kara seem to dim. "Look,she has no social security number, no papers whatsoever-"

"Who cares." Kara said as she didn't see how any of it was relevant. The nurse gave her a tight smile and closed the file.

"Medical system does. Supplies cost money and frankly I amazed they even bothered bringing her here given they'll just toss her back outside of state lines. So why should we waste medical supplies on her? She'll be dead in a few weeks or less if she's lucky." The nurse said in a matter of fact tone.

"Excuse me?" Kara asked in a mix of shock and disgust.

"Don't pretend not to know. She's prime sport even in her current state." The Nurse told her.

"Sport?" Kara repeated in confusion as she didn't know what the woman meant.

"Look, I don't have time to pretend with you. We have patients who can pay for their care. So if you want to delay the inevitable then be my guest and get her out of here." The Nurse told her and with that the woman turned her attention to her work pointedly making it clear their conversation was over. She shook her head as she walked away from the desk and back over to Larrin. She sat down next to her feeling the pain and confusion roll off her.

"You think you can walk?" Kara asked her in a soft tone. Larrin nodded not saying a word. "Ok, let's get out of here." she told her.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

* * *

" _Incoming, three SUVs_ " Wolf announced over the radio.

Danny stood next to Captain Chandler as they waited for the entourage from the Milwaukee Regency to arrive. Danny was genuinely surprised and relieved when the Captain stepped off the ramp of the Hercules plane with Cruz, Kudelski, Wallace and Flores in tow. All dressed in Kevlar and armed for a bad time. The flight crew with Miller's direction had off loaded the supplies and what little of the cure they had in stock into a nice pile on the landing strip ready for their guests to pack away.

It seemed the Captain wasn't expecting this meeting to go down well given he's already given the pilot orders to keep the engines running incase they needed to make a quick exit. Mrs Miller was already safely inside the plane just waiting for the meeting to be over. Miller was inside the plane with her trying to keep her calm as she was definitely not excited about flying on a non commercial airplane. Danny had to admit as a first fly, Hercules was not the best as it didn't come with nice seats and in flight entertainment. He was half tempted to tell Miller to go with his Mom but he was sure the man wanted to stay with them and help them find their families in kindness for them joining him.

The three SUV's travelled across the tarmac towards them and slowed to a stop. They watched as 8 police officers in riot gear jumped out of the vehicles and set up their own perimeter around their vehicles before a man dressed immaculately in a suit stepped out. His hair quaffed back like Elvis, he pulled on his shirt cuffs, preening himself like they were on camera. Danny and the Captain exchanged looks at the man who was basically a peacock as he strutted over to them like he were a man of important business. then three more men stepped out but they looked more like laborers as they wore basic workmen clothing of hi-vis clothing and dark pants with workmen boots.

"Captain Chandler?" the Peacock of a man asked as he stopped in front of them.

"That's me." The Captain said to him as he held out his hand for the man to shake.

"I am Eli Gallagher, I represent the Regency of Illinois. I also do not shake hands. It's nothing personal, I just prefer not to." Eli told him.

"The cure is transmitted via touch or close proximity." The Captain told him, Eli narrowed his eyes at the Captain as if assessing him before he pointed at one of the laborers and snapped his fingers. The man who'd been about to pick up one of the boxes came over to them.

"Transmit it to him. I was however assured that you'd be giving us something a little more tangible than a handshake and a promise." Eli said to him, the Captain turned to the Laborer and held out his hand to the man as he had no issue passing the cure on; no matter their status. The Laborer looked slightly confused but took the Captain's hand.

"Now, we've given you injectable doses of the cure. It will make whoever you inject contagious with the cure for 5-8 days." The Captain said but he spoke more to the Laborer than Eli as he held onto the man's hand. "The cure is passed along in your sweat and saliva and anyone you come into close contact with will catch the cure and become contagious themselves." the Captain explained. He released the man's hand and turned to Eli. "It's why you only need a small amount of the vaccine." he told Eli.

"The rest?" Eli asked.

"Food and medical supplies, in exchange we had a list of people who are looking for their families." The Captain told him, he pulled an envelope from his back pocket and held out to Eli. "The names of our people and who they are looking for. We just want to reunite them and give people closure." The Captain said.

"Well-" Eli started to say but was cut off as one of his SUV's behind him exploded.

* * *

"Is this Lieutenant Granderson?" The Doctor asked Commander Slattery, he looked at injured Larrin Taylor, Wolf's little sister. He remembered her from the Inauguration ball when she smacked Wright around. Something that tended to stick in a man's memory that and how she seemed to have a schoolgirl crush on Miller of all the single men on the Nathan James. He had to admit he didn't understand that attraction but then everyone had their tastes and hell, it wasn't like Miller didn't deserve a beautiful woman. But what he didn't understand was why Larrin was trying to impersonate Lt Granderson or why the Doctor had called him away from his work for this.

"What is the issue here?" Slattery asked the Doctor.

"Sir, Lt Granderson was mugged and they wouldn't treat her in the civilian hospital." Kara said interrupting the Doctor which was real impertinence given the Doctor outranked her even if he was the Air Force not Navy. But Slattery let it slide as he could sense the desperate state Kara was in but also that she was telling the truth.

"She doesn't have her I.D. or remember her social security number let alone her service number. In fact she hasn't said a word and I cannot treat a person without at least those identifier points." The Doctor told him. Slattery narrowed his eyes at the man as something about the situation didn't sit right with him.

"So, I've been called down here from my work to identify a member of my crew because you didn't believe my Lieutenant?" Slattery asked in an annoyed manner which wasn't a show as he really was annoyed. Annoyed his time was being wasted, annoyed that they were standing around talking while the poor girl sat there looking traumatised.

He could tell by the amount of swelling to Larrin's arm and face, the darkening of the bruises that the injuries had been left to worsen than be treated. He wondered why they didn't even throw her an ice bag. He also could see Kara panicking as the woman had a terrible poker face, so the whole situation piqued him even if he knew it was going to be a mountain of paperwork.

"Sir, it's procedure." The Doctor told him. Slattery looked to Larrin with a droll look.

"Yes, it's Lt Granderson. Will you take my word or should I go get Senior Chief Rios our medic who has served as ship's doctor?" Slattery asked in an impatient manner.

"No, your word is sufficient. Sir." The Doctor told him,

"Fantastic, now could you do your job; so that I can get back to mine or do you need me to stay and hold your hand?" Slattery asked the doctor in a patronising tone. He figured if he dressed down the doctor then he'd just get to work and he did as the doctor shook his head and immediately called for a nurse. Once Larrin was admitted into the emergency ward; Slattery turned to Kara. "Explain yourself." he ordered her in a no nonsense manner.

"Sir, permission to speak freely." Kara asked.

"By all means." Slattery said folding his arms across his chest.

"They refused to treat her at the other hospital because she's not an American citizen but they didn't tell her that. They just made her sit and wait in the state she's in." Kara said.

"Emergency rooms have their own systems." Slattery said trying to be understanding of the situation even though he really didn't get it given that most people had to wait ages in the ER for a doctor unless they were at death's door.

"I know, and I know that people have to wait their turn but the nurse told me that she'd be tossed outside the state lines in a couple weeks. That if I wanted to delay the inevitable then I was better off hiding her away as she's 'Sport'." Kara told him.

"Sport?" Slattery asked with a frown as he didn't understand what Kara was saying let alone the context of it. He couldn't think of any kind of sport that would include beaten up women and having them tossed over state lines.

"Yes, I don't know what it means and she wouldn't tell me. She told me to stop pretending like I should already know Sir. So I brought her here-" Kara started and Slattery cut off finishing off the rest of the story as he knew it.

"Hoping to slide in under Granderson's name. You couldn't pick another female crewmember that she actually looked like?" Slattery asked as he knew the Doctor only had to do his due diligence and pull Lt Granderson's medical records from the ship to know Larrin was not a 27 yr old African American woman.

"I wasn't thinking past getting her proper medical attention. Sir, I'm sorry you were dragged into it and put you in the position that you had to lie." Kara said sincerely.

"Let's not dwell on that." Slattery said to her, he wasn't entirely ready to let her off the hook as his earlier curiosity annoyingly became interest given the detective in him that just hated question marks had to find out why. Larrin wasn't even Navy or his responsibility but Wolf was one of them which made her by extension family. Not that he'd tell Kara but he would have vouched for girl no matter what. "Just get her out of here as soon as the Docs release her and then get Rios to do the follow up because the hospital will get our medical records." he told her.

"Yes, Sir." Kara said.

* * *

"What you've done here is amazing." Michener said to Senator Pierce. He was truly impressed at how much of the old world the Senator had retained in not just St Louis but most of the state of Missouri. They were walking the hallways of the old courthouse that the Senator had suggested be the new 'White House' given it was at the centre of the city and held historic meaning. Michener was incredibly impressed. The portly man 5ft 6 man with snow white hair in his early 50s smiled to Michener and waved a dismissive hand, completely self effacing of his feat.

"It was a communal effort." Senator Pierce told him.

"Don't undersell yourself Senator." A very athletic man in his late 30's, with light brown, deeply tan skin and striking hazel eyes said interrupting their conversation. He wore a well cut suit and polished shoes, it told Michener this man was someone to take note of as he walked to them with a quiet strength.

"Mr President, please meet Julian Heidt. Mr Heidt has helped St Louis flourish into the safe haven that it is today." Senator Pierce said making the introductions.

"Mr President, it's an honour." Julian Heidt said holding out his hand to the President. Michener took his hand and shook it.

"I think the honour is mine given that St Louis is rather well put together given how the pandemic has effected the country. I'm sorry to be rude but what happened?" he asked as he gestured to Julian's neck where he had jagged scar from behind his right ear down his neck. It looked like it only happened a couple months ago; if that.

"Ah yes, just a souvenir from the wilds of the dead zones." Julian told him with a smile not even perturbed at Michener's question.

"Dead zones?" Michener asked with curiosity as he didn't know what the man meant.

"The lands that are occupied by the remains of plague victims and wild animals. Not many people care to trespass through them as they can be very dangerous for the naive and unprepared." Julian told him in good humour.

"Yes, of course. I just hadn't heard it referred to as Dead Zones." Michener said with a smile trying to cover up his lack of knowledge. He'd been cloistered in with Sean Ramsey and his people that he never really knew what was going on outside of what he was told.

"They have many names. I heard that you were trying to distribute the cure North. It's a little rude to bypass the current infrastructure that holds the regional areas intact don't you think?" Julian asked changing the topic as he came here not to kiss the President's ring but the remind Senator Pierce of their deal.

"Excuse me?" Michener asked in confusion once again. Julian quirked his lips in a faint smile as Michener was an oblivious fool which would work in his favour.

"Mr Heidt employs many people to run transport of goods and resources between the regions I was informing you of earlier." Senator Pierce reminded Michener.

"So you have an established relationship with the regional leaders." Michener said as more of statement than question.

"Yes, I'm the middle man of sorts and I have established trade routes to those territories." Julian supplied for the President as he knew Senator Pierce would want his image to remain clean.

"What exactly do you get out of the trade?" Michener asked him.

"The satisfaction of good sports and a cut of the supplies to hand out to smaller safe zones. I'm just a good Samaritan doing God's work of helping the weak." Julian said, he looked to Pierce in pointed manner. "I was actually here to talk to the Senator about a game I saw today." he added.

"What kind of game?" Michener asked with interest as he assumed that they were talking sports game like baseball or tennis.

"Mr President, would you excuse us?" Senator Pierce asked him. Michener gave nod and Senator Pierce looked to Julian and motioned for them to walk. Julian followed.

"What are you doing here?" Senator Pierce demanded in a low voice when he and Julian were alone in an empty corridor.

"Oh don't want me to get chummy with your new Leader? I always knew you were a bottom. I'm here because you owe me." Julian told him in a mocking manner at first but making clear he was deadly serious about Pierce owing him because he did. Without Julian, St Louis would just be another empty husk of a city.

"I'm procuring them as we speak. They will be delivered on time as they always are. Two weeks time." Senator Pierce told him. Julian clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"I want this one." He said as he pulled an Australian passport from inside his jacket pocket and opened it to show Pierce the photo page.

"You do know there are over 10,000 people in this zone." Senator Pierce told him.

"Hmm, I ran into her earlier today. So I'm sure it won't be hard for your police to track her down. If she's not in the next shipment then I'll have to bring the hunt to your precious city and you wouldn't want that." Julian told him as he snapped the passport shut. He opened the Senator's jacket and tucked the passport into inside pocket. He then closed the man's jacket and tugged on it making sure it sat perfectly before he walked away.


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N: Thank you everyone for the reviews and hanging in there as it all went kinda crazy. Also computer stuff in this update is complete BS... so please just let it go and roll with it :-)_

* * *

Chapter 25

* * *

Danny gasped for air as his body was in shock. He'd been hit in the vest a couple times and in the leg. The gunshot wound to the leg was what finally dropped him. What was supposed to be an easy meet turned into what looked like a turf war. one of SUVs of the Milwaukee contingent had the blast had knocked them all down. Then the bullets started flying as men driving trucks with flat beds tore across the airport strips firing semi automatic weapons. One was armed with a grenade laucher which explained how the SUV exploded. He blew up the one other SUV before he'd been killed by one of Danny and his team.

He didn't know, as they were all fighting for their lives. The Captain had ordered a retreat to the plane and that was when Danny had been hit and fell to the ground much to his frustration.

Bullets flew through the air, he heard the shouting of his friends and the Captain as they laid down suppression fire at the enemy. He saw a shadow pass over him and the Captain's face swam into view.

"Keep breathing." He ordered Danny as he grabbed the handle on the back of his vest and dragged him away as he fired his rifle with his other hand. Hands grabbed under his arms and Danny finally had a view of the mess of dead bodies and charred vehicles. He was dragged half carried onto the plane, where he was laid back on the floor. He turned his head to the side and saw Mrs Miller rush to his side.

"Get this plane in the air NOW!" The Captain ordered. The back door of the Hercules closed as the engines rumbled at full speed propelling the air plane into the air.

"Just slow your breathing." Mrs Miller told him, he looked up at her using her as a focal point as he did as she told him while she shouted for a med kit. She knew she was right, even if his rational mind told him to rip the vest off. He needed to keep it on until he calmed down. He watched in what felt like a weird dream as Mrs Miller; Miller's Mom had gone into full medic mode. He wanted to ask if she knew what she was doing. She was a bookshop owner not a medic let alone a doctor but she seemed adept. Somewhere between trying to breathe and her pressing gauze to his leg he blacked out.

* * *

"Hey," Kara said to Larrin in a low voice, the doctor had finished his work and left continue his rounds. Larrin's nose had been set back into it original structure. It had been iced to reduce the swelling even if it was all too little too late as Larrin had the dark bruised circles under her eyes. Her right arm and wrist was finally set in a cast, all the blood had been cleaned off her face and cuts were cleaned and stitched. Not that there were many, just a couple stitches on top of her forehead, her right cheek had a butterfly stitch on it. They'd changed her out of her clothes into a gown and put an IV drip of fluids to rehydrate her.

"How you feeling?" Kara asked her.

"Fuzzy." Larrin replied. She struggled to pull the blankets up to her chin. Kara gently pulled the blankets out of Larrin's hand adjusted the blankets for her. "Thank you." Larrin mumbled.

"There anything else you need?" Kara asked her.

"I want to leave." Larrin said sluggishly. Kara smoothed a lose strand of hair behind Larrin's face and gave her a empathetic smile as she knew how Larrin felt. She could see her panic and while Kara didn't know what was going on, she did know their lie about Larrin's identity wasn't going to last long.

"We will when the doctor comes back with your discharge papers ok?" Kara asked her, Larrin gave a nod.

"Yeah." Larrin replied.

"Listen, I have no clue what is going on but we're all in this together ok. We'll protect you as best we can." Kara promised her, she looked at Larrin and frankly wanted to hunt down the man that did this to her and pay him in kind.

"I can't get a job." Larrin told her. Kara gave her a kind smile as she didn't care about that but could tell it was important to Larrin.

"That's not a priority ok and we'll find other ways for you to contribute when you're better. So right now let's focus on you healing up. Ok?" Kara asked her.

Larrin nodded tears filled her eyes as the pain meds they gave her did nothing to dull the pain she was in. They only made her feel drowsy but she was too afraid to close her eyes. She also knew she had to confess everything and face being judged for what she'd done.

"I knew him." Larrin told Kara, she watched as Kara's eyes grew wide in shock. "He's -" Larrin stopped as the curtain to their room swung open and a woman with wild brunette hair that had tomato red streaks through it. She wore black skinny jeans, a yellow Navy PT T-shirt that Larrin had seen in Wolf's gear and a leather jacket with a canvas bag over one shoulder. It was a very confusing look and her head couldn't figure it out thanks to the drugs.

"You are-" the woman started but Kara cut her off.

"A bad friend. I know, I'm sorry I should have called." Kara said as she rushed over to Val and pulled her into a hug as a nurse came up to them obviously watching them. "I'll tell you later what happened but right now Alisha's going to be fine." Kara said to her "So play along." she whispered in Val's ear before she released her.

"How did you find us so quickly?" Kara asked her, she was surprised as Val actually turned pink. She couldn't believe she had 'Valkyrie' the bad ass defiant hacker blushing like a school girl.

"I'm her emergency contact." Val told her which made Kara frown as she knew that wasn't true but she decided it was safer to go along as Val could be an ally if she didn't give their game away. "What happened?" Val asked Kara.

"Right, sorry. It's a long story." Kara told her, the nurse drew the curtain close leaving them and Val moved closer to her.

"Isn't she the one who put Wright in the hospital?" Val asked in a low voice to her. Kara nodded and pulled her closer to the wall so if the Nurse was nearby she wouldn't be able to hear them without getting closer to the curtain giving herself away.

"I need you to hack Alisha's personnel records and make it match her physical description." Kara told her in barely a whisper. Val's eyes went wide in shock, Kara knew because what she was asking meant breaking the law and falsifying documents something Val knew straight-laced Kara would never ask. But the Val didn't know Kara very well.

"Now?" Val asked her, a smile playing on her lips as she wondered what the hell was going on but also surprised goody two shoes Kara wanted to get up to some bad.

"Now before they look into it." Kara said pushing her.

"You're bossy." Val told her as she dumped her bag onto the spare space of Larrin's bed and pulled out her laptop and booted it up. The President offered her a job to turn Valkyrie into a communications network to bring America together. Of course what Michener didn't know was the reason Valkyrie worked so well was that it was in very basic terms a virus that infected everything it connected to. It was just a small version of her original purpose. So with her laptop she connect to any system that had their wi-fi still switched on like mobile phones, computers etc. So in essence she could pretty much control everything technologically speaking until more server farms were re-powered and the internet was brought back online.

"Just hurry." Kara said as she moved to the curtain and stuck her head out looking around. There was only a couple nurses on as the doctor seemed to have disappeared. She just hoped he was on a break and not up to something bad.

"Done." Val said after what felt like two seconds worth of typing.

"That was quick." Kara said as she looked to Larrin who was struggling to stay awake. She wished Larrin would rest for a little bit as it would be easier on her but she had a feeling Larrin had something important to tell her but wouldn't talk in Val's presence.

"Valkyrie." Val said in a patronising manner as she pointed at herself. She started to shut it down to conserve battery power.

"No one's that good." Kara told her, worried that Val was just putting on a show for her instead of helping her. It wasn't like Kara had even explained what was going on.

"In simpleton terms, I corrupted the Nathan James medical and personnel files with a virus. So talk." Val told her as she closed her laptop and stuffed it back into backpack. Kara moved away from the curtain back to Val and looked to Larrin. She didn't know what to do, so she just went with her instincts. Val liked to fight for the innocent and she also could hack into seemingly any computer network.

"You hear anything about people being tossed over state lines as 'sport' in any of your time before the Nathan James?" Kara asked her in a low voice. Val frowned in confusion which made Kara inwardly sigh with relief as Val had no poker face, so she could tell that the woman had no clue what Kara was saying.

"I lived by myself on an oil rig for nearly half a year. So I have no clue unless it was said on the network." Val told her.

"Could you look into it?" Kara asked.

"Why don't you look into it?" Val asked her.

"Because people won't talk to me thanks you bad mouthing the Military for months." Kara pointed out.

"Touché." Val said, accepting responsibility that people might call the sailors of the Nathan James heroes but that didn't mean they were going to talk about anything sordid to them and she had feeling this was going to be good. "But I need more to look into this." Val added.

Kara looked to Larrin who had dozed off, the drugs in her system and the severity of her injuries putting her to sleep. She turned to Val. "She was mugged, her passport taken, they called her 'sport' and the police, the doctors in the public hospital wouldn't help her at all. They told me that I had to get her to go to the Embassy." Kara said in a low voice. Val narrowed her eyes in suspicion as sounded off even to her.

"Ok. I'll look into it but I'm waiting to be called to fix the computer systems here. The virus that corrupted the Nathan James records is rather vicious." Val told her, Kara smiled.

"So you and Alisha?" Kara asked changing the topic as she had to wonder how Val knew Alisha had been checked into the hospital. She only assumed that Val had Alisha's name tagged in a search.

"It's nothing, she's hooked up on her ex but you have to admit. She's got spunk." Val said with a shrug completely downplaying it but Kara wasn't fooled for a minute. Val had a crush on Alisha which was surprising and adorable.

"I thought you were anti-military." Kara said, Val gave her and exhausted look as she folded her arms across her chest and acted like it was nothing.

"I believe violence only breeds more violence not Peace. Anyway, I'm not against what you stand for, I appreciate my civil liberties and freedom. I understand the military is a necessary evil. What I hate is how the government lies to it's people and they use the military like their own gestapo to control the world-"

"Ok, just stop." Kara said cutting Val off from her tirade. Val gave her a mischievous smile.

"Alisha likes a heated political debate. Though she doesn't believe the amount of money the government spends on frivolous travel, cocaine and hookers." Val told her in a high and mighty tone.

"Gee, Michener looks so wholesome." Kara drawled sarcastically.

"The wholesome ones are usually into underage boys and girls." Val informed her.

"That's disgusting." Kara told her.

"Don't have to tell me." Val said agreeing with her.

* * *

"They are right on our tail. We need to lose them." Burk told Alisha who was behind the wheel. It was by dumb luck she was in the driver's seat as they had raced to the vehicle when they started taking heavy fire from the same hostiles who had attacked the Milwaukee party. The strange thing of it all was that yeah they fired at their people but they hadn't killed any of Military personnel and allowed the Captain and the others to escape. The only problem was that the unknown party were hunting them.

"We've lost comms with plane." Wolf said, Alisha made a harsh left hand turn onto an arterial road that made the man smack into the side door. He exchanged a look with Burk who was just as worried as he was. It wasn't just that they were being followed but Alisha was one scary driver as she navigated the road barely dodging cars, but then the people behind them in a pick up truck were slowly lagging behind as their vehicle was larger and older model. But they'd catch up.

"Who the hell were they?" Alisha asked.

"Scavengers?" Burk suggested as he couldn't see why the Milwaukee group would kill their own people or chase them down when they were outside their territory.

"Where should we go?" Alisha asked as she barely knew the area they were driving she only knew she was heading south.

"Norfolk, it's further away than St Louis but it'll give us more time to lose them." Burk told her.

"I don't know how to get there from here." Alisha informed him as she swerved to miss an abandoned car but ended scraping the side of front bumper by mistake.

"Head south east, try not to scrap the paint work." Burk told her.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

* * *

"Green?" Miller said trying to wake Danny.

"He's out cold. Just keep his leg elevated." his Mom told him, as Miller was keeping Danny's leg elevated above his heart which was in accordance with some romance novel his mom claimed she read about it working in. He wanted to tell that fiction wasn't really the best resource for first aid tips but then they didn't have a medic on the plane and even if Danny was unconscious. He was still alive and had a steady pulse. Unlike Miller's whose was racing a million miles an hour with adrenaline.

"Mom, are you ok?" Miller asked her, she sat back on her feet and gave him a smile.

"I'm fine, though that was a little exciting." she commented, he could tell she was lying but left it alone as he knew his mother was a proud woman and wouldn't want to be seen as weak.

"I'd say so, that was bad ass Mrs M." Cruz said as they'd all calmed down from the craziness of getting out of the hostile zone and treating the injured. Luckily they hadn't lost anyone but then Wolf, Alisha and Burk were still out in Milwaukee. Those on the plane only had minor injuries which was a relief.

"Ah, Mom. This is Petty Officer Javier Cruz." Miller said making the introductions.

"Everyone calls Cruz." Cruz said holding out his hand.

"Well, Javier. It's Ms M not Mrs. I never married." Mom said correcting him and also using his first name as she shook hands with him. He smiled and gave a nod.

"Ms M, your boy here is one of the finest sailors I've ever trained and served with. So it's an honour to meet you." Cruz said, Miller couldn't help but go beet red at the compliment as none of the guys really complimented his skills they usually pointed out where he went wrong and called him a 'doofus' or other names. But he watched as his Mom beamed at the charm of Cruz.

"It's always nice to meet a friend of my son's-" his Mom was about to continue when the Captain came over to them.

"How is he?" Tom asked gesturing to Danny.

"I believe it's a through and through. But he needs a hospital." His Mom told the Captain.

"We're headed for St Louis. Should be there in under an hour." Tom informed them.

* * *

"Damnit, where are they coming from?" Alisha said an hour later as they had lost the truck but gained two more cars these ones were smaller and speedier. It seemed like they weren't chasing them. They could have easily overtaken them and cut them off but instead they were pushing them into a certain direction. It made no sense.

"They aren't even firing at us." Wolf said as he'd tried to shoot out their tires but Alisha's driving impeded his efforts so he gave up.

"Holy-" Alisha didn't get to finish the sentence as the SUV hit road spikes the tyres popped and car swerved viciously off the road and smashed into electrical pole. Glass exploded into the car and metal crumpled and groaned from the impact. The sheer force knocked them all unconscious.

* * *

Tom watched as Lt Green was rushed to the ambulance waiting on the tarmac in St Louis. The rest of the team he'd given orders to be seen by a doctor and to report back in an hour as they needed to find Wolf, Alisha and Burk. He couldn't leave them out there. He also couldn't help but worry about Rachel. This unknown group made him uneasy given they'd just let them fly off. It made no sense.

"What happened?" Mike asked as he met Tom on his way into the hangar following the others towards the armoury to hand over their weapons.

"Someone didn't like us, blew up the Milwaukee party and the supplies. It felt like a trap but not for us." Tom told him in a low voice. He'd not said over the radio what happened instead just in case their comms were being monitored. They had a leak but he wasn't sure if it was on their end or on Milwaukee safe zone's end.

"That doesn't make sense." Mike said as his whole day seemed to have a theme of confusion to it. He didn't want to think what happened to Wolf's sister was connected to it but his gut was telling him that something was going on.

"I think it was to send a message as much to us as it was to the Milwaukee Regent. I want to speak with Senator Pierce and what?" Tom asked Mike as he noticed his friend's expression.

"Taylor with you?" Mike asked as he couldn't resist asking. He hadn't seen the man walk off the plane.

"Got separated, they are still out there. I want to head back out but we need to get into contact with them first." Tom said, he could only assumed that Wolf, Burk and Alisha had headed South. St Louis was closer than Norfolk but he had a feeling they'd head towards a fortified base than a city filled with civilians. Even if it took them longer to get there. It meant more time to evade their enemy.

"His sister was assaulted. I thought I'd give you the heads up that she's in the hospital here masquerading as Lt Granderson." Mike told Tom, just in case someone else told him and he was caught off guard.

"Do I want to know why she's using Granderson's Identity?" Tom asked, wondering why Mike would allow Wolf's sister to lie about her identity even if she was mugged. The public hospital should've provided her the medical care she needed.

"Something off about this place," Mike said cryptically, Tom stopped in his tracks and turned to Mike.

"Is this one of your gut things?" Tom asked him, over the years Tom had learned to trust his friend's instincts especially when it came to people and situations with an undercurrent of dishonesty. His time as a detective made him more adept at it than Tom. Mike gave him a wry smile.

"It's too perfect, then the sibling of one of our people gets attacked. Apparently the police weren't interested in investigating the crime tried to fob her off to the public hospital. They wanted nothing to do with her either. According to Lt Foster they refused to treat Taylor's sister because she's 'sport'." Mike told him.

"Sport?" Tom said as he was trying to make sense of that and why the public health system wouldn't help as they were supposed to accept all walks of life and treat their injuries.

"I want to look into a bit more." Mike said though he wasn't going to flash around Larrin's name. For some reason the idea of a young woman being called 'sport' gave him an uneasy feeling especially given it wasn't being used as a term of endearment.

"Ok. Let me know what you find out." Tom said.

* * *

Wolf groaned in pain as he slowly came to. He opened his eyes and his sluggish brain barely processed what was going on around him. He was hanging in his seat belt, broken glass scattered across his clothing, he lifted his head and saw Burk and Alisha in the front of car. Both handing in their belts unconscious. Smoke and a hissing noise filtered through as he took in the damage to the car as the front of it had wrapped around a large electrical pole.

He winced as he heard the sound of tires screeching and gunfire. He turned his head to the left and regretted as stars and speckles washed over his vision threatening to black him out. He frowned as he saw men in military uniforms move in formation firing their weapons. Another couple men raced over to their car, Wolf reached for his weapon but his brain swam and he lost grip on reality and passed out.

* * *

"So this is where you live?" Barbara asked her son as he pulled up the borrowed vehicle to a grand looking house. She'd never lived anywhere but the bookshop. This house looked like it deserved to be on front cover of a House and Garden magazine.

"Yeah, with other people." he told her.

"Yes, I remember Wolf telling me so. Is his name really Wolf?" Barbara asked him, her son smiled and nodded.

"He has a sister Larrin. Apparently their Mom liked unique names." he told her, he frowned and Barbara followed his gaze to see two police cars parked on the other side of the road and a couple of uniformed officers at the front door of their house.

"Is everything alright?" She asked him.

"Yeah, just weird to see police out here. Must be a social call." Miller said putting on a smile to comfort his Mom. He didn't want her worrying about the safety of the neighbourhood. He got out of the car and walked around the other side, opening the door for his mom. It wasn't like she needed the help but he liked being a gentleman.

He and his Mom headed up the front path; leaving their bags for later as Miller was worried about what was going on in the house.

"Hello, can I see some identification?" one of the officers asked. Miller pulled out his wallet and took his Military ID out showing it to the officer.

"Seaman Eric Miller. You're not listed as a resident of this house." The officer said looking to Miller.

"I'm staying as a guest of Tex Nolan. This is my mother Barbara Miller." Miller said, he couldn't help but feel his back go rigid at the formality. "Is everything alright?" he asked.

"We're searching the premises for a suspect in a murder investigation. They listed this place as their residence." The officer told them, Miller heard something smash and moved to go into the house only to be stopped.

"Do you have a warrant?" Barbara asked them, the officer didn't get the chance to answer the question when two officers came out of the house.

"She's not here-" one of them started to say but stopped as he saw Miller and his Mom.

"Who is the suspect you're looking for?" Miller asked, the officer pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. It was a black and white photocopy of Larrin's passport.

"You know her?" The officer asked.

"She looks familiar but then a lot of women have been coming to me for the cure." Miller said as he wasn't sure why but he felt to be obtuse about Larrin was better than saying he knew her. The officer gave him a look annoyance before he showed the photocopy of the passport to his Mother.

"Asking me is a waste of time. I've been in Iowa until an hour ago." She informed them.

* * *

"We'll get you home, you can rest-" Kara stopped mid sentence as she accidentally missed the turn off for their street but in her mistake she'd seen the cops outside of their place. She didn't know why but she had a bad feeling about it. The cops hadn't cared about Larrin past getting her off their plate and now they were parked outside their house.

"What is it?" Larrin asked.

"The police are at the house." Kara said.

"So?" Larrin asked confused and a little out of sorts thanks to her concussion and injuries.

"I don't know, it's just off." Kara said as she continued to drive on. She threw Larrin a comforting smile. "It's fine, we'll just make a pit stop somewhere else until they move on." Kara added, she tried to think of where they could go. The military base was out of question. She didn't know the address of anyone else on the ship except for one person.

* * *

The next time Wolf opened his eyes, he was blinded by bright fluorescent lighting. He raised a hand over his eyes to create a shadow and saw an IV cannula in the back of his hand. He had to admit he felt a lot better than he had when he was back in the car. It all then snapped back to him, the car chase. Alisha ploughing into pole and the firefight. He pushed up in the bed and muffled a groan as pain radiated through his body. He clutched a hand to his chest and leaned forward as the pain subsided into an unpleasant throbbing sensation. He was still dressed in his own clothes which was in a way a blessing.

He looked around seeing that he was in what looked like a hospital emergency room as there were several gurney beds with machines and medical supplies stacked on trolleys dotted around the room. His eyes landed on a woman in the bed to his left. For a moment he could have sworn it was Larrin, but it wasn't her. Sure she had the same skin tone, hair colour but her features were slightly different. at least what he could see as half her face was covered in a bandage.

He looked around at the other people in the room. All of them suffering from injuries of varying degrees, it made him wonder where Alisha and Burk were. He looked down at the monitors attached to him, he turned to the machine and switched it off before he pulled the electrodes off his skin and was about to pull out his IV when a woman snapped at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. Wolf looked at her, she was a fit looking 5ft 7 tall woman wearing a Navy BDU pants and a T-shirt with a lab coat over the outfit. The sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She had dark blue eyes, long wild wavy auburn hair that was pulled back into a braid but strands had escaped style framing her delicate featured face.

"Where am I?" Wolf asked her, her eyes went wide at his voice.

"Jesus, aren't you a lucky one. Bet your Zone got a long reprieve for handing you over to the Scavengers." She said as she unceremoniously shoved him back onto the gurney bed. He growled in pain as her touch hurt. "Yeah, big guy you're tough, blah blah but you can't be moving around. You have fractured ribs, a possible concussion and one hell of a bruise from the seat belt. So lie back like a good boy and maybe I'll answer all your questions." She informed him in a brusque manner.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"People just call me 'Doc' given funnily enough I'm the Doctor, look into the pen light." She told him as she pulled out a pen light and flashed it in his eyes without warning him.

"Ah." Wolf said making a face as he really wanted another doctor. This was more about getting through the work than showing care and a decent bedside manner. It made him feel a little like a meat puzzle.

"Pupils look good, want to tell me what day it is? the name of the last president and your name?" she asked him as she kept examining him.

"I don't know either of the first two. My name is Senior Chief Petty Officer Wolf Taylor of the Australian Royal Navy." Taylor told her, he watched as she stepped away to the end of the bed and lifted a chart from the end. She then pulled a pen from her pocket and jotted the name down on his chart.

"Got the Australian part with that accent. Looks like you're not lacking in any area." She said as she added notes to chart before placing it back in it's home at the end of the bed and looking to Taylor. "You're going to need the IV until the bag is empty. So rest, Lt Commander Burk will drop by soon to speak with you."

"Lt Commander Burk." Wolf said.

"Yeah, Oh-" she paused for a moment as if trying to remember something before she shrugged. "Did I not give you the welcome to Safe Harbour speech?" she asked him.

"No. You also didn't tell me about my friends either." Wolf said trying not to be rude but wanting answers.

"They are in the same shape as you. Lucky, given I heard you wrapped your car around a pole." She said with a humourless chuckle.

"Are they here?" He asked.

"Yeah, just unconscious in the other room. They haven't woken up but I'll let you know when they do. For now lay back, be calm and welcome to Safe Harbour." She told him, she went to walk away but Wolf called out to her.

"Wait up, what is this place?" Wolf asked her.

"You're Navy, you should know what Safe Harbour means." She told him.

"Explain it to me like I'm missing a few I.Q. Points." He told her, her eyebrows rose in amusement and she gave a smile that could lit up a whole room as she walked back to the end of his bed.

"Safe Harbour is the place where those who became sport can stop running, it's for those who shun the new world order and for those who want to redeem their humanity. You can pick which category you fit into but we all work together and live as harmoniously as we can." She explained to him.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

* * *

Kara knocked on the door of the cute bungalow house, she looked to Larrin feeling like a horrible guardian as Larrin looked ready to collapse. But she was afraid to take Larrin home. The door to the Bungalow opened and Kara's eyes went wide as Commander Andrea Garnett was drunk, it wasn't hard to tell given the woman's hair was wild and loose and she reeked of bourbon. Something years of growing up with her Drunk mother gave Kara the senses to pick up when a person was drunk just by scent.

"Lt Kara Foster, what a surprise." Andrea said in a firm tone even if she slightly slurred her name. She leaned against the door frame dressed in a comfy pair of grey tracksuit pants and purple, cream stripe loose scoop neck t-shirt.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you at home Ma'am without calling ahead. I can see this is a bad time." Kara said trying to back peddle from her idea of convincing the Commander to let Larrin crash at her place until Kara ascertain that their home was safe for her.

"Not at all, I was just enjoying my R&R. So it's Andrea," Andrea's eyes focused on Larrin, she'd been wallowing in her grief and what her personal life had become. The bourbon was more out of relaxation as she had no duties and frankly she just wanted to let loose without anyone watching. But that plan was destroyed now seeing the young woman in such an injured state sobered her. Seeing the desperation in Lt Kara Foster also made her mind switch into paying attention and taking things seriously. "What the hell happened to you?" she asked Larrin.

"It's a long story." Larrin answered, not sure what was going on but trusted Kara. She could only assume this woman was from the Nathan James.

"You bringing trouble into my house?" Andrea asked Kara. Kara wasn't sure what to do but at this point she had to trust in the woman Commander Garnett was, she was a strong person unlike her mother. So she had to think Andrea's current inebriation was an aberration and not normal behaviour.

"Larrin needs a place to lay low. I can explain it all." Kara said to her, Andrea looked between the two. Kara Foster was not one to attract trouble...at least not the kind that got a woman beaten by a pulp. She knew could easily tell them to move on but she was not that kind of person. She turned and pulled her car keys off the hook on the wall and tossed them at Kara.

"Here are my keys, switch our cars and put yours in the garage." Andrea told her, she turned to Larrin. "Come on, anyone who kicks Wright's silver spoon ass is welcome in my home." she said waving Larrin into the house while Kara went to move the cars.

* * *

"So that girl in the passport is Wolf's sister?" Barbara asked as the police had left the house. They hadn't made a mess but they did break vase. Not too bad but all of it was strange as they promised to keep a unmarked car monitoring the place in case Larrin showed up. Miller said it wasn't necessary but then they'd shared that Larrin was wanted for the murder of four men in Colorado and that she'd assaulted a witness who'd seen her downtown. He honestly didn't believe any of it, sure he could see her capable of killing a man given how she'd kicked Wright's ass but if she killed a man it was out of survival. To him, that didn't count as murder.

"Hey Miller!" Kat said as she came into the house with Halsey at her side. She looked like she had been on a long run with Halsey as she was sweaty and looking exhausted.

"Kat, this is my Mom Barbara Miller. Mom, that's Kat; Tex's daughter and dog is Admiral Halsey." Miller said making the introductions.

"Hi, it's so good that you two found one another." Kat said as she shook hands with his Mom. "Larrin's going to be happy. She was worried about you and the others' not finding their family." Kat said as she moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water and taking a long pull from it.

"Do you know where Larrin is?" Miller asked her, Kat swallowed the water and shook her head.

"Nope, I've been out all day with Halsey. Does this mean Danny and the others are back?" Kat asked him.

"Green is but he's in the hospital. You know where Kara is?" Miller asked as he really wanted to let her know given she wasn't technically his next of kin so no one was going to be calling her up. He knew the Captain might out of consideration but just in case he wanted Kara to know.

"If she's not here, then I don't know but Dad will be back at 5." Kat offered.

"What's he doing?" Miller asked.

"He got a job out at farm. So he's bringing home the cheddar, literally." Kat told them.

* * *

"There are cops out front of our house. So I wasn't comfortable given only hours ago they wanted nothing to with her." Kara said as she explained to Andrea what happened with Larrin. They were sitting in the kitchen sharing a coffee and talking about the situation while Larrin had fallen asleep on the lounge.

"I'm not sure if I should be relieved at knowing St Louis is not so perfect after all or plain scared of what they are hiding." Andrea said as she took a sip of her coffee. She knew she was over the limit for driving but mentally she was sobered.

"Larrin was going to tell me something about the attack but Val interrupted us. I think she knew her attacker." Kara said, she thought she should mention it in case Larrin brought it up with her.

"I just find it weird Val would help you let alone she has a thing for Granderson. Talk about chalk and cheese." Andrea said with a wry chuckle as she ran a hand through her red hair.

"Opposites attract?" Kara offered, she couldn't help but like this less formal side of Andrea. She had been worried not just about the drinking but more about Andrea being pissed off at her for invading her space but the woman had offered her nothing but support and kindness.

"Well, at least she's on our side even if it feels a little too late." Andrea commented, she looked at the clock on the wall. "You should go see if your place is clear." she told her.

"I was thinking the same. Um, I was going to drop by later this week and invite you over for dinner." Kara said to her.

"What do you want?" Andrea asked with a smile as she could see the dinner came with strings.

"The house I was given needs work. I was hoping you could maybe look at it from an engineering standpoint." Kara said with a hopeful smile.

"You know I'm not really a Structural Engineer but I've done some renos in my day. So I can take a look." Andrea offered. She wasn't doing it because she was desperate for dinner but because she liked to help people when and where she could.

"Thank you, and I'll be back in an hour." Kara told her.

"Just take my car and save yourself some more time." Andrea told her.

"Ok." Kara said with a nod.

* * *

"Senior Chief Taylor, I heard you were awake." said a 6ft 2 tall, African American man in his mid 30's, Wolf winced as he pushed up in his bed to look at the man. He wore Navy BDU uniform with Lt Commander maple leaves on his collar and Burk stitched in the name tag. "I'm Lt Commander Cameron Burk. It's a pleasure to meet another sailor like myself." he said as he moved to the side of his bed and held out his hand.

"Same." Wolf said though he wasn't too sure about the man. "Are you any relation to Lt Carlton Burk?" he asked, the man didn't really look related to Burk but it was worth an ask. The man smiled at Wolf and nodded.

"Yeah, he's my little brother. I have to say that I was relieved we were able to retrieve you all before the Scavengers got you. They aren't too kind to the Military let alone Australian military in these parts." Cameron told him.

"What is that about?" he asked him.

"You think you can walk?" he asked Wolf.

"Yeah, I can." Wolf said, Lt Commander Burk signalled a nurse who rushed over and removed the IV cannula from Wolf's hand freeing him from the bed in essence as the 'doc' said he'd be tossed out into 'Gen. Pop' once the bag was empty. Once the nurse stuck a band aid on the back of his hand, she made it clear he could go.

"So, Doc told me I could take you for a quick excursion but I shouldn't leave you standing up too long unless I wanted you to swoon into my arms." Cameron told him with a wry smile at the Doc's humour.

"She's an odd bird." Wolf said as he followed him.

"Yeah, but an excellent Doctor. She's saved many lives here." Cameron said as they walked out of the hospital, judging by the dimming light it was just after sundown. He took in the area as it looked like a makeshift shanty town with tents set up on what looked to be a large park. Street lights were working and

"Where are we?" Wolf asked him as he dodged some small kids running wild around the area. The place was busy and humming with people talking, generators running and the smells of food cooking. It was an active community that was sheltered by the campus buildings. Wolf looked up to the roofs and spotted a couple sentries. He wondered where the safe zone began and ended as it wasn't a lot of security from what he could see but then they could be part of a warning system.

"Safe Harbour, though it used to the University of Chicago." Cameron said as they headed to building to the right of the hospital. It was guarded by soldiers in uniform carrying weapons. He hadn't missed the guards stationed at the hospital either.

"We're in Chicago?" he asked shocked that they had travelled so far, he also wondered how long it would take for them to get back to St Louis. He wasn't exactly savvy of American geography.

"Yeah." Cameron said as they walked up the stairs and entered the building. "Burk and Alisha woke up half an hour ago. I wasn't comfortable in bringing you three into the fold so quickly but after I spoke with our people in Norfolk it was necessary." he added. They walked down a long hallway on the first floor until they reached what looked to be a large computer room. But it had been retrofitted as it looked more like a command centre. What Wolf couldn't get over was the amount of Military roaming the hallways and in the room. They came from all branches and then there were plain clothed soldiers. He knew they were military by how their physic, how they held their posture and walked.

"Wolfman." Burk said, breaking Wolf out of his thoughts as he was still processing the room and it's details. He turned to see Burk and Alisha looking just like how he felt. Completely wrecked. They were both sitting down at the main table.

* * *

"We've had no contact with Granderson, Burk or Wolf." Mike told Tom as they sat in his office going over everything again. Tom had sat down with the team from today trying to get as many details about their attackers and what had happened. They'd also had comms trying to hail their team still out there with no success.

Tom had updated Michener about what happened and his new pal Senator Pierce informed them it was probably Scavengers who attacked them. Told them they were lucky to escape. Tom hated the Senator as he was a worm of a man. He also didn't like how this 'Scavenger' issue wasn't brought up a lot earlier when they were debriefed on the current state of America. It only made Tom more blatantly aware that the government was hiding things from him and the others.

"How's Lt Green?" Tom asked.

"He'll be fine though he'll be on medical leave with the leg. I saw him before coming here. Lt Foster is with him." Mike informed him.

"What about Taylor's sister; Larrin?" he asked.

"It's become more complicated." Mike said in a frustrated manner. Tom sat back in his seat and looked to his friend.

"She still in hospital?" Tom asked wondering if they'd have to act on that situation and show that they didn't condone such behaviour. He was already in enough trouble with Lt Foster and Green, the pair had a baby on the way. While he was satisfied with their punishment for fraternisation and their behaviour since. He couldn't help but feel a little impatient waiting for them to decide what they were going to do with their future. Tom knew he was going to lose one of them as the baby couldn't be left behind and definitely wasn't going to be on board the ship.

"No, but Lt Foster informed me the police have put out a BOLO for Larrin. She a suspect in the homicide of four men in Colorado." Mike told him, Tom looked at Mike incredulously as he met Larrin and the girl was not a killer.

"No way, she's not a killer." Tom said not believing it for a minute.

"We don't know the details. Wolf and her have proficient training in hand to hand combat. You saw what she did to Wright." Mike said playing devil's advocate.

"I would have kicked him in the junk if he tried that with me." Tom said, Mike gave him a wry smile as they both knew Wright had been hitting on Wolf's sister at the time.

"Anyway, I dropped by the Australian Embassy earlier today. Just to check in and see what we'd have to do about getting Taylor paid given he's been working for us." Mike said letting go of the subject of Wright.

"And?" Tom asked.

"The place is ran by Americans. There's not one single Australian in the building, none of them knew what I talking about. They tried to BS me with the 'I'm Australian who lost my accent' thing, so I went along with their dog and pony show." Mike told him.

"It does happen. People lose their accents." Tom said trying to explain it away.

"Maybe except in my experience Embassy workers don't carry weapons and Senator Pierce reminded Michener only yesterday that they haven't had any contact with our international allies. Did I mention the place was completely empty of Australians? Sure, you could let the employees slide but there wasn't any civilians in the lobby waiting to see a delegate. Not one Australian civilian. The virus doesn't discriminate but you have to admit that's off in such a large population." Mike told him,

"Ok, that is off." Tom said as he couldn't explain that. He knew if he were lost overseas he'd be camped out in the Embassy waiting for answers or coming in everyday to find out if there was any news while he tried to be productive. Even with the high mortality rate of the virus there would still be at least a few displaced citizens.

"So where is Larrin?" Tom asked.

"In hiding, Lt Foster said that Val was looking into the other side of this 'sport' business. But I shake the bad feeling." Mike said to him, it made Tom worried too as he thought of Rachel.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

* * *

"How many people are here?" Burk asked his brother as Wolf settled in at the table. He couldn't believe his brother was alive. Correction, he could believe it now. He was just surprised he hadn't shown up in Norfolk months ago. Lt Commander Burk, the Golden child of the Burk family. He excelled at everything, so of course he'd be successfully running a safe zone. Of course he'd be in charge of it all and everyone around him would just hero worship him while he; Carlton Burk was just the little brother who had came up short to all expectations laid on him.

"We had over 600 yesterday but we transported 200 to Norfolk this morning." Cameron said to them as he signed paperwork that a subordinate handed him. Burk wondered if the paperwork was legitimate or just a really good show. He of course wasn't going to ask as he preferred to be completely removed from Cameron's sphere. It was why he chose a different speciality to Cameron and opted for duties on any vessel on the opposite side of America to him as he refused to live in his shadow.

"Who are all the people here?" Alisha asked, she had to admit she was surprised to learn that Burk's brother was the Lt Commander Cameron Burk. The guy was a legend as he got top marks in everything he did, he climbed the promotion ladder like it was nothing where others struggled. Lt Commander Burk was what every CIC officer dreamed of being as he was amazing, she didn't get why Burk would pretend not to know his own brother but decided it wasn't her business.

"Military personnel and their families, orphans, people left in the dead zones as 'sport' for the Scavengers-" Cameron started only to be cut off.

"Sport?" Wolf asked as he overheard that word being thrown around like it was something filthy instead of an innocuous term for physical activity or term of endearment. Cameron wore a disappointed and somewhat saddened expression.

"Yeah, a lot has changed. Here is the US." Cameron said as he pulled a portable white board from the side of the room over closer to the table. It had a map of America on it, on the map were roughly seven small blue zones, only two green zones while the rest of America was marked out in black stripe pen lines. "Green Zones are the only true safe zones on the maps." Cameron said.

"Milwaukee is a blue zone. What does that mean?" Alisha asked thinking of Sara, she realised that the airport they had been at today was in the black area. Something that raised red flags in her mind.

"Ok, I'll answer your questions but for now let me tell you what's happened in your absence. So I need you all to pretend whatever you've heard about America since the pandemic happened and throw it out the window." Cameron told them.

"Ok." Wolf said while the other agreed with a nod as they were all under the assumption that America and it's people were in disarray but the map showed a different story.

"When the virus hit it's peak and majority of the population was wiped out. Cordon Sanitaire protocols for infected areas like the one in Milwaukee turned into safe zones, they cleaned out the dead and extended their walls out to increase their populations of survivors. All the blue zones are those areas on the maps. There were many more in the early days. They kept out the infected as best they could while trading their neighbours for supplies and food etc. Then the Immunes came over from Europe spreading the good word of the Lord and how they were chosen-"

"We defeated them." Burk told Cameron. His brother gave him a patient look and continued on ignoring Burk comment.

"So, naturally immune people who didn't go into the Blue zones wandered lost. They heard about other Immunes and formed their cult. From what we know, Ramsey and his men in their first few weeks in America went around the east coast enlisted the surviving prison population into their ranks. They must of communicated with their buddies on the west coast and inbetween because that's when everything went to hell."

"No way," Alisha said in disbelief.

"Ramsey made a bargain with them. The prisoners got their freedom and they could do whatever they liked as long as they helped get rid of non immunes and followed the rhetoric of the cult." Cameron told them.

"How could they tell the difference between non-immune and immunes?" Burk asked as he couldn't believe it. But then he had to admit he never thought about what happened to people in prisons and jails serving time for their crimes. Though he remembered Tex and Gitmo, it was a nightmare.

"Probably the reason they had a fall out,little brother and the Scavengers emerged as their own group. They had no allegiance to the Immunes or anyone. They ate up the territory you see here." Cameron said gesturing to the black areas of the board.

"But we've been travelling through the area for over a day and we didn't run into any Scavengers." Alisha said, she looked to Wolf who was incredibly quiet and wondered what he was thinking as he just stared at the map like he wanted to tear it to shreds.

"That's because there aren't as many as there used to be. It started with thousands of inmates. It was a massacre, they decimated our ranks. Army, Air Force, Navy we all were hit bad, if it wasn't the Scavengers then it was the virus. I'm not saying all the prisoners who escaped came after us. Some disappeared to lead normal lives. Some ended up here." Cameron told them. Wolf, Burk and Alisha all looked at him with wide eyes at the last part.

"You have convicted criminals here?!" Burk asked in a low and incredulous tone as his brother had to be insane to work with criminals.

"Some people are rehabilitated by the system, some wrongfully convicted but most who end up here are paying penance. They want to help and I don't have many soldiers. They have been invaluable." Cameron told him.

"You can't be serious." Burk said disgusted at the idea that his brother felt he had everything under control.

"They know the lay of the land, they know how the Scavengers think and they all had families and people they loved. They are human, they are flawed but they have proved that they can be trusted. They also understand that if they survive these months that they will have to return to prison. It's non negotiable, one they voluntarily agree to." Cameron said defending himself as he knew he would but he had saved many lives with the help of the reformed prisoners.

"I guess, we'll see about that." Burk said sarcastically as he leaned back in his chair. Cameron gave him a dismissive look and continued on.

"What we know was that even while the Scavengers were working for the Immunes there was a lot of infighting in the early days which culled their number down somewhat. But in saying that it just weeded out the weak and left the worst of them. But it's still too large a number for us to take out." Cameron said.

"Why haven't they just over run you?" Alisha asked.

"They're amused by the concept of what we're doing. They attack us but it's more about testing our defences, gaining information on us. I know they are going to come at us hard which is why we're helping establish Norfolk a more secure perimeter; soon they'll be able to house those we have here and we can move the zone and continue our mission statement. The other reason they haven't truly come at us yet is that they have a steady flow out of sport out of the blue zones." Cameron told them.

"I'm still lost about this sport business." Wolf said speaking up. He looked at that map and his gut twisted into ugly knots as he thought of Larrin walking through all that dangerous territory with nothing but a satchel bag and birkenstocks. She was either really lucky or she was keeping back a lot of information from him. He wasn't angry at her for wanting to keep secrets but he was angry at himself as he was her older brother. It was his responsibility to protect her.

"They exchange food and supplies between the blue zones in exchange for people. People, they hunt and kill for 'sport'. You can draw your own inferences. It's why when you start walking around you'll see certain archetypes here." Cameron said, the man looked visibly ill talking about it. Something Wolf could empathise with.

"That's sick." Alisha said.

"The people in the blue zones sacrifice the few to save the majority. I'm not condoning it, it doesn't make it right but it's what they do. But when he virus hit us, police and military took the hardest hits as we were on the front lines with no protection from virus and heavily outnumbered by scared and angry people. It was a mess and the immunes brought stability and their own kind of trouble-"

"Don't defend them."

"I like many of our brethren broke away from the blue zones and formed what green zones we could. We've lost a lot of good men and women in building what we have here, in the lives we've saved. We did it because while those blue zones seem like a dream, it comes at a cost my conscience couldn't live with. But you have to remember those who have survived are still desperate and scared people. We all are, it's just that some of us make different choices." Cameron said, he didn't want to say it but he felt his little brother had the easier time being on a ship far away from all the mess. That he'd missed out on the degradation of their culture and so he couldn't really grasp what was going on.

"But there are only two green zones." Burk said.

"There are a few smaller pockets of green zones but they are nomadic. We also have operators who live in the black areas their function is to pick up anyone being hunted. We're doing the best we can in trying to save as many people as we can." Cameron said.

"So let me get this straight, Blue zones toss people out for the Scavengers to slake their addictions." Wolf said as he looked at Missouri where St Louis was, on the map it was a blue zone.

"Yeah, they toss out displaced overseas travellers first who fit the descriptions given. When they ran out of the types. It was down to anyone who wasn't an American citizen or couldn't prove it. They trap tourists in the embassies." Cameron told him, he knew it was a lot to swallow for anyone.

"What do they do when they ran out of tourists to toss out?" Alisha asked thinking of Sarah, though she could understand Wolf's concern as his sister was in a blue zone. What she didn't get was why no one in St Louis told them about this.

"They started with anyone who didn't have an important skill set, teenagers and kids who don't have ID or parents. Like I said, they prefer to send out people who fit a certain physical descriptions over random people. It gives them a longer reprieve from the Scavengers." Cameron told them as he sat down at the table. He wasn't going to paint them a pretty picture as they needed to know the truth. He needed them to understand that the Immunes weren't the worst thing to come out of the pandemic. That just because they sunk a submarine didn't mean the job was finished. They still had to reclaim their country from their own prison population.

"What happens when they don't meet the end of the bargain?" Burk asked as he was overwhelmed by what he was seeing and hearing.

"Blue zone that can't provide the sport-" Cameron started but Wolf cut him off.

"Stop calling it sport." Wolf told him in a dark tone as all he could think about was Larrin. He knew she was safe with the others but they didn't know the danger was surrounding them.

"When they can't provide, the Scavengers do one of two things. They let the blue zone starve which forces people out into the dead zones. Or they go in and take what they want and burn the zone to the ground." Cameron told them.

"I was here during those months. I never encountered any of this." Wolf said to Cameron.

"It's all very well orchestrated, the blue zones don't want word going out or they wouldn't get people into their zones. I've also encountered survivors who hadn't seen anyone for weeks. It's a lot of space to cover. There have been small pockets of towns that were left untouched and completely disconnected from the world. Were you in any safe zones?" Cameron asked him, the lack of a reliable communications system and infrastructure cut off a lot of the population.

"Only Norfolk." Wolf said the other safe zone's he'd been in were nomadic at best. So communications were limited.

"Just like Mrs Miller, she only heard rumours." Alisha said.

"Who?" Cameron asked.

"Someone we encountered on the road." Burk said to him as he looked to Wolf with real concern. He knew the Captain and XO needed to know what Cameron was telling them just as much as Wolf needed to get back to his sister.

"I only found out a week ago that they were one of the small pockets. I'm one of the few who made from San Diego, so I'm still trying to make sense of what's going on over here." Cameron said.

"Why wouldn't you stay in San Diego?" Burk asked him.

"There's nothing left there. I figured I come find you given you're stationed out of Norfolk. But then I got tied up in this and I couldn't just walk away from it all." Cameron told him, hoping his brother would forgive him for not being there when the Nathan James docked in St Louis as he felt he was needed here.

"Why did your Doc say I was lucky the Scavengers didn't pick me up?" Wolf asked.

"There are three leaders in the Scavenger group that we know of. They run different sectors together, they are at the top of their food chain. They have particular tastes. When a blue zone provides the perfect match they get a generous reprieve before they have to sacrifice more people." Cameron paused as he looked to Wolf. "For example, any military servicemen and women no matter their country of origin are highly desirable. We have survivors here you can talk to directly as I feel it's not my place to share their experiences." he said.

"Bloody hell." Wolf said as he felt the blood drain from his face as he thought of Larrin. She was like the equivalent of a member of the military given her martial arts skills and their childhood training.

"We need to get back to St Louis." Burk said as he knew what Wolf was thinking and he didn't care if he was in agony right now. He drive all night to get back to St Louis for Wolf. The man had fought by their side and they weren't going to let anything happen to his sister and frankly the Captain needed to know what was going on.

"You're not going anywhere tonight. The camp is on lockdown until dawn and none of you are in any shape to leave." Cameron reminded them.

"You don't understand." Alisha told him.

"No, you don't. The Scavengers are waiting for you leave. They will pick you off one by one." Cameron told them.

"Is there a way we can contact Norfolk and have them relay a message to our Commander in St Louis?" Alisha asked trying to find a compromise.

"That we can do." Cameron told her.


	29. Chapter 29

_A/N: So I'm not sorry for the mega dump of chapters. I planned to stretch it out into nice bite size updates but then I ate some sugar and well things changed... I will apologise for any wrong information about Military stuff as I made that up and for the end of Chapter 33... Anways hope you all enjoy and also huge thank yous to all those gorgeous souls who take the time to review! I love them! :-D_

* * *

Chapter 29

* * *

Tom was about to head home when Mason raced to him like a kid ran after an ice cream truck. He inwardly smiled as the man came to an abrupt stop infront of him and donned a professional exterior like it would take away the image of him running.

"Sir, I'm glad I caught you. Lt. Burk and his team have made contact." Mason said a little breathless.

"They still on the line?" Tom asked, the young man nodded.

"Yes, and they need to speak to you." Mason told him. Tom nodded as he turned on his feet and headed back into the building. He picked up his pace and headed towards their command centre. It was technically the Air Force's base but they were graciously sharing with them. He walked into the room and couldn't help but notice Val sitting at the main table meant for meetings with her laptop out.

He moved to the station set up with radio system and took the radio receiver from the ensign posted there, he looked to Val as she held up her hand signalling him.

"You can't talk long, your encryption channel is being hacked." Val informed him.

"Lieutenant Burk, report." Tom said, he listened to the heavy static on the line waiting for a response from Burk. He looked to the comms officer and Mason. "Can we clear the static?" he asked them.

"No sir, the interference is coming from our end not there. I haven't sourced from where exactly but I'm working on it." Mason said as he looked at his computer. Tom was about to ask more questions but stopped as Burk's voice came over the comm.

" _Sir, it's good to hear your voice._ _We got out, all three alive and accounted for. We're transmitting a file to you via Valkyrie network. Wolf has a request._ " Burk said but his voice was garbled in parts and the line heavy with static which only told Tom that they did indeed need to keep this short.

"Go ahead." Tom said, letting go of the lack of decorum but he knew it was rare for Wolf to have a request. In fact he barely asked for anything.

" _Sir, I need -_ " he started but the static was so heavy it was chewing up the channel." _eva- sis-in- to- folk._ " Wolf's message came out with heavy static to the point his message was incomprehensible.

"Say again. Your last transmission was garbled." Tom said into the radio.

* * *

"What's going on?" Wolf asked the comms officer, all they were getting was static. He barely made out a word the Captain said. He felt his gut twist into knots as he could only think of his sister and getting her out of St Louis.

"Signal's been jammed." Comms officer said as he changed channels and tried several different locations not just St Louis. No one replied vocally but Wolf didn't miss the pronounced clicks coming over the speakers.

"From where?" Wolf asked him.

"Has to be from their side as we're still receiving from other operators and Norfolk." he told him as it sounded like a bunch of cicardas to him of all varying tones over the radio for a few minutes before going quiet.

"That's the clicking noises?" Wolf asked him for clarification, the man nodded.

"Yeah, we have a program that can distinguish between the tones. So we know who's checking in. The scavengers can hear what we do but can't locate their signals or who it really is. We use military and local channels. It's not perfect system as the scavengers can replicate it. We also have certain code phrases when we need to identify our people." The comms officer told them.

"What about Valkyrie Network? Is that still safe?" Burk asked.

"I doubt it but we'll find out when your girlfriend doesn't call us back." the comms officer said looking to Alisha.

"She's not my girlfriend and she'll figure it out." Alisha assured him, she and Wolf shared a look as much as they appreciated the efficiency of the base here in Chicago. They really wanted to get back to St Louis and get their friends out.

"We should have put a message in there to get Larrin out." Wolf said.

"You never said your sister's name was Larrin." Cameron said speaking up as he'd let Burk and the others run the show knowing he was a stranger to Captain Chandler.

"Yeah, what of it?" Wolf asked wondering what the man was withholding.

"They'll know when they open the files to get her out." Cameron promised him, which gave Wolf a sinking feeling in his gut.

"What do you mean they'll know?" Wolf demanded in a careful tone.

* * *

"Hey." Kara said Danny in a soft tone as he slowly woke up, he gave her a dopey smile thanks to the pain meds coursing through his system. She had been sitting by his bedside waiting for him to wake up from surgery. Today was a day she didn't need and it was barely over.

She needed to get home and tell Tex what was going on. They needed to think of a plan to keep Larrin safe. She hated to admit it but this whole situation was outside of wheelhouse. She needed Tex's outside the box thinking and experience as an operator and Army Ranger. But for now she needed to feel she had control over one situation and right now Danny was it. He was home, injured; yes but safe.

"Hey." he replied, she gingerly sat on the edge of his bed careful not to jostle him as she took his hand in hers.

"How you feeling?" She asked him, she knew it was selfish but she was happy he was back in St Louis, happy that he'd definitely be there for the ultrasound even if the circumstances of him coming back were awful.

"Pretty good." He told her, he looked at Kara and felt his heart fill with love as he could and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She was dressed in civilian clothing her hair out loose around her shoulders. He really needed get her to church and put a ring on her finger.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked him, he gave a nod.

"Yeah, Miller's Mom told me not to be a baby." Danny said with a frown as he didn't really like that part of the day. But he remembered the attack and being hit in the vest and leg. Even if it was all a little blurry around the edges thanks to the drugs. That and well Kara was distracting him just by breathing.

"The wound to your leg is through and through and you have 4 broken ribs. So the docs have patched you up, you'll be in hospital for a couple of days but after that medical leave for 8 weeks minimum." she informed him, she added a couple more weeks on for her own peace of mind but knew when he wasn't drunk on pain meds he'd push for five but now he was a little pliable so she'd enjoy it a little while it lasted.

"Aye, aye." Danny said with a smile.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to find your family." Kara told him, turning serious for a moment. Danny just gave her a soft closed lip smile.

"It's ok, my family is here. I love you Kara." Danny told her.

"I love you too." Kara replied with a smile.

* * *

"You can take my room." Miller told his Mom.

"Nonsense, I'm sure Wolf won't mind me sleeping-oh wow he certainly has unusual tastes in decor." Barbara remarked as they opened the door to Wolf's room. It had definitely had changed in the few days of Miller's absence.

"This is probably Larrin's doing. Sibling joke." Miller offered as he couldn't help but smile as Wolf's bed had the cobalt blue fur doona cover with matching pillow and dog pouf with it's face looking at the door as if waiting for its owner to come home.

If it hadn't been creepy enough it seemed Larrin had taken the liberty of placing all the lizards they'd removed from Kara and Danny's place in the room too. It looked like Wolf had a bad infestation but the lizards were placed so perfectly that the door could easily swing open and all their heads were direct much like the pouf. As if they were all waiting patiently for Wolf to come home.

"I think I will take your room after all but where will you sleep?" Barbara asked as she felt her son's plain room was more welcoming.

"In here. Doesn't bother me." Miller said with a shrug.

"Do you really believe she's a murderer?" Barbara asked him referring to what the police told them. They still had a vehicle out the front of the house to 'help' them feel safe. Miller had a feeling they'd bugged the house and were there for surveillance not their protection. He just needed to find a working handheld AM/FM radio as it'd pick up any electrical interference from a bug. He figured Kara and Danny's place would be a good bet for that given how it seemed to have a lot of old technology.

"I don't but then we don't have all the facts either." Miller said just in case someone was listening. "But don't worry, you're safe here." he assured her.

"I'm not worried. I have a gun." She assured him with a smile.

* * *

Andrea moved to Larrin's sleeping form and just barely adjusted the blanket when Larrin's eyes snapped open and she jerked up like she'd stuck her finger in an electric socket. she immediately lifted her arm in a defensive measure but Andrea's quick reflexes came in as she gently touched the arm pushing it down.

"Sorry" Larrin said to her, feeling a little disorientated as she forgot for a moment where she was. Then the pain of injuries made themselves known and throbbed from her sudden movement. She looked to Andrea immediately embarrassed by how she looked.

"It's ok, you're safe. I didn't mean to wake you. I was adjusting the blanket." Andrea said in a soothing manner to her as she sat down on the coffee table and looked to Larrin with concern. She wasn't going to say it but the fact that Larrin work up in a defensive posture spoke volumes to her.

"I- I'm a light sleeper." Larrin told her, if she were honest she didn't know what kind of sleeper she was anymore as she'd slept like a rock in the hotel and at the house with Tex and the others. But now after seeing Julian, she just expected herself to wake up and find herself back in the forests of Colorado.

"It's ok and it looks like you'll be staying here for the night. I have a spare room if you want to get a proper sleep than doze on the couch. But since I have you awake right now. I think you need to eat something. So come on," Andrea told Larrin as she motioned for her to follow. Larrin got up from the lounge and followed her to the kitchen table. The smell of pumpkin soup and toasted bread filled the air ; the delicious aroma made her stomach rumble.

"Here." Andrea said as she placed a mug filled with pumpkin soup and a plate with two slices of buttered toast cut into soldiers. She went back to the kitchen and pulled open a drawer that seemed to be the previous owner's drug drawer. She pulled out a bottle of Tylenol and uncapped it. She made sure it Tylenol in the bottle before she placed it open on the table giving the Larrin the option of pain management.

"Thank you." Larrin said lifting the mug up and taking a small sip. She wanted to make sure it wasn't scolding hot, what she learnt was that it was delicious and not too hot after all. So she took a healthier sip of the soup needing the stuffing to be put back into herself.

"I figure with your face it'd be easier to drink your meal." Andrea said to her in a wry manner as she too drank her own soup from a mug.

"It's really good." Larrin told her.

"So Wolf's little sister." Andrea said with a smile.

"Yeah." Larrin said with a tired nod but smiled nonetheless as she imagined people figured she'd be a 6ft 1' Amazonian type of woman instead of the weakling she appeared to be.

"I have to assume you got all the brains and the looks." Andrea commented in a light and teasing manner, Larrin gave a closed lip smile.

"Yeah, he's all the brawn." Larrin said in agreement, a knock at the door sounded that made Larrin flinch and Andrea quirk an eyebrow in curiosity as she wasn't expecting anyone.

"Stay here and eat." Andrea told her, she rose from her chair and headed to the front door. She looked through the peep hole grateful not to see the police on the other side as she knew Larrin was in no state to run.

"Mike," Andrea said as she opened to door to the man. He was dressed in his BDU's looking world weary. "Where's your partner in crime?" she asked referring to Tom. She knew she should show him some deference but then they were the same rank and not on the ship. So she was allowed some leeway.

"Parking the car. This place is impossibly crowded." Mike told her, Andrea felt a little twinge of disappointment Tom was here as that meant it was business. "Heard you had a guest." he said cutting straight to the point.

"I do and we're not up for visitors." Andrea informed him, feeling protective of Larrin.

"This isn't a social call. Something is going on and we really need to talk to her." Mike said in a serious but also slightly pleading manner that said he needed Andrea to give him some latitude.

"You going to make her cry?" Andrea asked him.

"When have I ever made anyone cry?" Mike asked her with an amused smile.

"I can think of a few instances." Andrea said, she saw Tom walk up the small path to her bungalow. He was carrying a manilla folder with him but he too was dressed in BDU's. Definitely not a good sign. "Tom." she said in greeting.

"Andrea, you know someone's blocking your driveway?" Tom told her.

"My neighbours are assholes." Andrea said with a shrug as if to say 'What can you do?'.

"Mike tell you why we're here?" Tom asked her.

"Yeah, you two eat anything yet?" she asked as she knew better than to stand her ground. Something was going on and she had the feeling it was best to find out sooner than let it go for another 12 hours.

"Depends, did you cook from scratch?" Tom asked in a cautious tone.

"I have a couple cans of beef stew. I am capable of warming food up without it being a disaster." She remarked in a snide manner as it was no secret her husband Andrew was the cook.

Well, he was the typical 50's housewife as he had his work outside the house but he managed to keep their house in Norfolk a beautiful home and cook a delicious meal fit for the President while Andrea was a complete disaster in everything domestic. But in her defence she could do all the house and car maintenance in her sleep which was something Andrew was completely clueless about.

"Sounds alright to me." Mike said.

"Come on in." Andrea said waving them in. She just hoped she didn't regret it later.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

* * *

"Honey, I'm home." Tex called out when he came in, he was filthy and smelt that distinct aroma or sweat, grease and that scent one got from welding for long hours.

"Welcome home," Barbara said as she came down the stairs. Tex frowned in confusion as he looked to the Redhead walking down the stairs. He looked around to make sure he was in the right house.

"Hi." Tex said to her. "Am I in the right house?" he asked her.

"I have no idea, but I hope son. I'm Barbara Miller." She said introducing herself. Tex smiled at the woman's spunk and was delightfully surprised it was Miller's mom but now up close he could see the familiar resemblance in the same colouring of eyes, skin and hair. They shared the same eye and face shape.

"Miller's Mom. Hi, it's a pleasure to meet. I'm Tex Nolan." he said, he placed down the box of food and held out his hand to her. She smiled as she shook hands with him. "I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see you for a few weeks." he said.

"Yes, plans changed and things went a little awry. I'll let my son explain." Barbara said.

"Where is he?" Tex asked as he moved to the box and started unpacking the contents.

"Next door with your daughter looking for something. I can't remember what." Barbara said as she was glad her son warned her about Tex as the man looked like a wild one with his wavy long hair and beard. He was in dire need of a shower and a haircut in her opinion but he had a warm demeanour that was incredibly welcoming and disarming.

"What about Kara? she around?" Tex asked wondering where everybody was. Not that he expected a parade every afternoon he came home but he just liked to know where everyone was at.

"Her partner is in the hospital and you should be aware the police are outside watching the house waiting for a Larrin Taylor to show up. Apparently she's a murderer." She told him. Tex nodded not reacting to the news with shock as Barbara expected but then she'd seen her son lie to the police which said she was missing a large piece of information.

"Huh, murderer of food?" Tex asked her with a smile as he'd seen the car out the front. He hadn't guessed the police or that they were looking for Larrin but it would explain the empty house. But he was a patient man so he could wait for answers. He knew if it was dire he'd have been called back immediately. "She was at the Inauguration ball with the President. I watched her pack away two entrees, a steak and two desserts in less than two hours." he said with a smile as Barbara as he moved to the stereo system and picked up a Steely Dan CD. He popped it into the stereo system and hit play letting the music filter through the years.

He moved to Barbara who looked completely baffled by his calm state. "Larrin isn't a murderer, she's a sweet young woman who's survived hell. Just like the rest of us." he assured her in a low voice so their voices were muffled by the music.

"I didn't say that I believed them or I was worried Mr Nolan. I trust my son, he lied to the police to protect her." Barbara told him in a low tone, smart enough to know what he was doing. Even if it was tempting to sing to the song as she really loved the song playing.

"Call me Tex and good. Is there anything I'm missing that I should know?" Tex asked her.

"I'm in the dark as much you," Barbara told him.

"Where's Wolf?" Tex asked hoping she could at least answer him that much.

"Still somewhere in Milwaukee. It's a long story that I don't know all the details of." Barbara told him.

"No problem. I'll find out later." Tex said with a smile as he moved back to the kitchen to continue unpacking the contents of the box. "You want a cup of coffee or tea?" he asked her, he knew he should really have a shower but decided it could wait until he had a moment to relax.

"Sure, tea would be lovely." she replied as she sat down at the dinner table and watched him. She wasn't sure what to do as she was a guest in the house and Tex seemed to be on top of it all that he didn't really need her help.

"I assume you're staying for a few days or more." Tex said as he filled the kettle with water and placed it on gas stove and turned on the heat to boil the water.

"Yes, my son didn't want me to stay in Iowa by myself." Barbara replied.

"I recommend staying out of Wolf's room." Tex advised her as he set up the mugs on the bench and went for the tea. "We only have Peppermint tea, that ok with you?" he asked her.

"Yes, and I've seen Wolf's room. It was interesting." Barbara said with a chuckle.

"Australians have a real peculiar sense of humour but they are good to have around." Tex said with an amused smile.

* * *

Larrin wished she hadn't drunk her cup of soup as she felt like it was going to end up all over Andrea's small dining table that was really meant for two people. Andrea had brought Captain Chandler and Commander Slattery into the kitchen slash dining. Mike was in the kitchen area with Andrea fussing over her skills in reheating canned beef stew while Tom sat to Larrin's right at the table looking at her. To say Larrin was uncomfortable was an understatement.

"I'm not going to lie to you; Larrin, you're in trouble and you think you know it too. I want to believe you're innocent in all of this but I need you to tell me what's going on." Tom said to her as he sat back in his chair and looked at her. Like he was trying to assess her, for what Larrin had no clue. But this whole situation was just weird as Mike and Andrea looked positively domesticated with each other and bickering like an old married couple. While Larrin knew Tom was interrogating her, she knew so because he reminded her when her Dad would interrogate when things in the house went missing or someone ate something they shouldn't have.

Larrin didn't really know where to begin and frankly she didn't know these people. She knew Wolf trusted them, and that should be enough but it wasn't because in telling them what they obviously wanted to know. It meant her confessing to things she wanted to forget. Things she most definitely didn't want Wolf to know.

"Your brother wants you evac-ed to Norfolk. The police here are looking for you in relation to four murders in Colorado." Tom told Larrin, he and Mike had pieced together Wolf's garbled message. It had been easy when they knew the only think Wolf would ask of them was to look after his sister.

Of course, they knew the police were looking for Larrin. So Mike had asked for more information as he wanted to let all of the crew on leave be on the lookout. The police had been happy to hand over copies of what they had. The same file that Tom had on the table with him now.

He and Mike felt it was time they spoke to Larrin directly. Though now that Tom was looking at Larrin, he just wanted to put her on the next plane to Norfolk and not bother asking question. He knew Wolf earned at least that much respect. But Tom felt there was more at stake, with Val working hard to de-crypt the files Burk said was on the Valkyrie Network. He needed answers, Val told him it would be hours until she had anything as the files were large.

"Larrin, your brother asked us to protect you. So whatever you have to say, it won't change that. But to help you, we need to know what's going on." Tom promised her, Larrin nibbled nervously on her bottom lip looking at him with a conflicted expression. At least that's how Tom read her as her face was slightly swollen and bruised that he had to admit he could be confusing it for pain. Her posture was that of a wounded animal trying to make herself appear smaller and unobtrusive.

"I don't want Wolf to know." Larrin said, she hated how her words sounded, she clutched her broken arm to her chest hugging it in it's cast as she leaned forward hunching her body. Tears ran down her face as she knew that once she told them, they'd look at her like she were a monster. The only silver lining she could think of was that the people in this room wouldn't see her everyday so she wouldn't have to worry about them judgement on a daily basis.

"What you say will stay in this room." Tom promised her.

* * *

"You know, you really need to rest." Doc told Wolf as she found his sitting up in his bed looking at the girl in the bed next to his.

"Do you have a real name?" he asked her, he couldn't lay down and rest when his sister was being tracked by a monster. Cameron had told him about one of the leaders of the Scavengers searching for his sister. He knew it couldn't be any other woman as he highly doubted there was another 5ft 8 brunette named Larrin running around America. He'd pushed Cameron for more information but the man felt it wasn't worth sharing and so then Wolf demanded to be given transport to get back to St Louis but that hadn't gone down well either. So here he was stuck.

"If I could remember it, I'd tell you." She told him with a smile, he blinked at her unsure of how to take that. Her smile just broadened. "I was 'sport', Lt Commander Burk saved me. I woke up with no memory of who I was, but I could tell you all the names of the bones in your hand. Suture wounds and everything else a doctor could do within reason. Just came to me like breathing does but who I am, where I came from; all a blank." she said before she sighed and sat on the bed beside him and looked to the girl with him.

"So you don't remember anything of your past or what happened?" he asked her, he couldn't imagine how she coped with it but then he realised that she just worked and that her general apathy was her way of coping.

"Nope, got a lot of scars that tell me that I probably don't want to know. The other doctors here think we need a headshrinker to crack me open but we haven't found one. So I'm just like her but functioning." She told him with an gesture to the girl on the bed opposite them.

"What happened to her?" Wolf asked gesturing to the girl that looked so much like his sister.

"Burk tell you about the Scavengers and how they run down people?" she asked him, Wolf took a calming breath as he thought of Larrin in St Louis while he was stuck here. He had no way of knowing if they got his message, he couldn't get to them because even if he could push through his injuries; he had no transport or weapons to get to St Louis. Even he could get a car he was still roughly 4 hours away as long as the roads were clear.

"Yeah," he told her, he needed to trust in the Nathan James people to keep her safe. Something he struggled with given they had no clue what was going on and frankly he knew he'd feel better being there.

"Some of them have particular tastes." Doc said to him.

"Yeah, I know about that." Wolf said.

"She's a type, she earned Texas a two month reprieve and extra supplies. I think I was her once." She told him. Wolf looked at her in confusion, "Naturally a redhead but my hair was brunette when I woke up no memories months ago. But our injuries are too similar to ignore. Cut to the side of the neck, burn scars and the other markings of a woman who was held captive for a while before running for her life." Doc said, tears came to her eyes and Wolf reached out and touched her on the shoulder. She flinched slightly at the contact but relaxed and gave him a tight smile.

"I'm ok, I don't remember what happened which like I said is for the best." She told him, blinking away the tears and clearing her throat.

"My sister looks like her." Wolf said as he let his hand drop away from her, "She's in St Louis and we all thought it was a slice of preserved society safe for everyone." Wolf added as Doc cursed under her breath.

"But the ship you came in on is military right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, she's with my friends. I know they will keep her safe but it's hard to sit here and do nothing." Wolf confessed. She gave him an empathetic smile.

"I know that feeling well." She said wistfully.

"Tell me you every try signing a peice of paper?" he asked changing the topic completely, she gave him a strange look. "To find out your name. Signing your name is fairly second nature as we do it alot. I'd assume a doctor would sign a lot of paperwork." he offered, her smile brightened as she leaned across the end of his bed and pulled his chart off the end and showed it to him.

"Mmm yeah, we tried that. I have hideous handwriting." She told him as he looked down at the signature on the paperwork that was obviously hers and it was just an indiscernible scribble. Even her normal scrawl was like looking at a foreign language. But then he just assumed it was medical jargon or hoped as much.

"I see." Wolf said.

"Yeah, it's ok. 'Doc' works for now" she said taking the chart out of his hands and returning it to the end of the bed. "Or at least it will until world order is restored and I'm put out of service due to not having a recognisable identity and proof of my education." she said with a shrug.

"Well, you never know you might get conked on the head and everything will come back. Won't have to worry and carry on as you are." he offered.

"Yeah, I think I'd rather avoid further bodily harm if I can help it." She told him with a smile.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

* * *

"They were relentless." Larrin said, she looked down at the table afraid to look up and see their faces. She'd just told them everything she'd been through the past months since the outbreak.

How she'd been picked up by CDC who thought she was a carrier and placed into an isolation room. How she'd watched people in the other rooms of the isolation floor all die horribly while she survived. That riots struck in the outside world but she'd been abandoned in her room. How she'd spent a month in that tiny room with no food and only the water from the ensuite bathroom to live on until Julian had found her.

She spoke of how he seemed so normal and they both just wanted to survive and escape the city they were in as it had been a Cordon Sanitaire but it hadn't stopped the virus from sweeping over America. She told them how she and Julian had made it to the forest in an effort to leave people behind. They had the know how to hunt and survive in the outdoors. They met up with his friends a couple weeks after being in the forest together.

His friends however made her feel uncomfortable, she'd barely spent an hour with them when she made the decision to go off on her own. Julian had tried to make her stay by talking her into it but she hadn't been swayed. When he realized she was going to leave he became violent. She defended herself and got away but Julian and his friends chased her into the forest. She'd lost them a few times but evading five men intent on hunting her down hadn't been easy. After weeks of running for her life, she knew they'd soon hunt her as a pack than separately; so she did what her father taught her to do, she'd gone on the offensive and set traps for them and picked them off one by one. The funny thing of it all was if her father was alive he'd be praising her right now. While her mother would be shocked to the core, Larrin knew she was even after all the months that passed by as it went against her own ethos.

After she'd gotten the upper hand on Julian or so she had thought. She'd disappeared into the wilds for good. She stayed as far away from other people for months until she had accidentally come upon a couple listening to a broadcast of their President talking about the cure. The couple had never known she was there, and she thought maybe if she could get the cure and a way back to Australia she could pretend it all never happened. But her past caught up to her.

"My father told me that sometimes in life you have to choose between your life and the other guy's." Larrin said wringing her hands as memories flitted through her mind. She could almost hear Julian whistling his favorite tune and calling out to her. "I just never thought I'd ever be in that position or this one right now. But I knew if they captured me... I know it's not really self defense when you go on the offensive. But I had no choice. So I understand that you have to hand me over to the police." she told them.

"So this man Julian, you know his last name?" Andrea said as she had sat down next to Larrin, she exchanged looks with Tom and Mike. She didn't know what they were thinking but there was a silent agreement that there was more to this situation than what met the eye. They also knew if they were in Larrin's shoes they'd have done the same. The only inconsistencies they could find was between the police reports of how the men were killed. They were at this time more inclined to believe Larrin over the police as what she'd just told them made more sense given what they knew of Wolf and Larrin's general demeanour. Though Tom and Mike had to wonder what kind of childhood Wolf and Larrin had to be able to escape and evade like that.

"No," Larrin answered.

"What does he look like?" Mike asked her.

"Tall, in his 30s, athletic build, light brown hair, tan skin, hazel eyes. He has a scar running down the right side of his neck." Larrin said she drew on her neck the scar he had.

Tom looked to Mike as he'd seen a man fitting that description at the old courthouse walking the hallways. The reason Tom remembered him and it wasn't just the scar that stood out but the way he walked through the place liked he owned it, and he also locked eyes with Tom and looked at him with defiance instead of the usual grateful looks he received. Mike registered the look as they had their own short hand from serving together. He knew they would talk about it later but for now focused on Larrin.

"He has my passport now. I can't prove I'm a displaced citizen or ask for asylum at the embassy. He's going to find me. I should turn myself into the police. They should keep me safe from him and you'll not get into trouble for harboring a fugitive." Larrin said as it was the right thing to do.

"Larrin-" Tom started but an incessant knock at Andrea's door stopped him, he looked to Andrea who gave a shrug as she had no clue who it was.

"I'll get it." Andrea said, she rose from her chair and went to the front door. Tom watched Larrin, knowing exactly how she felt in carrying the burden she did. He heard Andrea open the door and Val's voice carry through.

"Good, you're all here." She said as she walked into Andrea's kitchen like she owned it and placed her tablet computer on the desk. "Is that beef stew, I'm smelling?" she asked Andrea.

"Do you want some?" Andrea asked, it was meant for Mike and Tom but they'd been more occupied with Larrin talk.

"Yeah, I'm starved." Val said to Andrea in an appreciative manner as she sat down opposite Tom at the table and got comfortable.

"How did you know I'd be here?" Tom asked Val.

"Your vehicle has GPS." She said before she thanked Andrea for the bowl of stew and slice of bread. "Anyway, you needed to see this. I decrypted the files and-" She paused to look at Larrin "You are so screwed." she told her.

"I got that part this morning when my arm was broken." Larrin told her, she rose her eyes for the first time looking at the others in the room. She wasn't sure why but she was glad for their impassive expressions or in Mike's case mild annoyance which seemed to be directed at Val.

"Val, you have something for us?" Mike prompted, Val nodded as she had a mouthful of bread and stew.

"MMhmm." She murmured as she tapped the computer screen on the table. She quickly swallowed the food and winced as it was too much for her esophagus. "Yeah, the people in St Louis are lying to us all." she told them.

Tom picked up the computer and swiped his hand across the screen flicking through the documents until he came to a map of America and stopped. Unlike the map in the old courthouse, this one was very different there were several tiny blue areas, a couple green areas and the rest was consumed in black.

"What is all of this?" Tom asked her.

"Looks like the immunes built their own army to cull the masses of non-immunes from our prison system." Val told him.

"What?" Mike asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I know but then the world went to hell in a hand basket so of course the Immunes would pounce on one area we'd neglect. The black areas are run by those inmates who are presumably immune. They are called 'Scavengers'. According to the files, they work at supplying the blue colonies with supplies and acting as a middle man in any deals. In return the blue colonies supply them with fresh meat to play with." Val said in a matter of fact tone before she at another spoonful of stew.

"I don't know anything about this. I knew about the scavengers as people who stole and killed travellers on the road but not about them trading or these zones." Larrin said to them. She needed them to know.

"Well, of course you wouldn't. You're fresh meat or as the locals call it 'Sport' which there are places that you can put down wagers on how long a 'game' will be played because the Scavengers only call round when they need more bodies." Val said her eyes flitted to Larrin which made her uncomfortable as she didn't understand completely what they were talking about.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Larrin asked her.

"Cause you're a Unicorn." Val told her, Tom who'd been flicking through the files stopped again and looked to Larrin. His expression was completely unreadable as he handed the computer to Mike.

"What is it?" she asked them, where they remained silent seemingly unable to tell her; Val spoke up.

* * *

"Tex!" Kara exclaimed as the man gave her a heart attack opening the door before she could put her keys into the lock. He'd pulled her into the house and closed the door behind her in a such a rush she nearly fell over. "You trying to give me a heart attack?" she asked him as her heart was pounding from the adrenaline.

"No, but you're real easy to scare." Tex commented to her.

"It's a long day that is not over." Kara said frowning as Miller was walking around the lounge room with an AM radio. Kat and a woman Kara had never seen before were already in the kitchen cooking dinner. She still needed to tell Tex what was going on and get his help. She needed his unique thinking and problem solving skills. Frankly there was comfort in talking to him that she needed right now before she headed to Commander Garnett's to check on Larrin.

"Yeah, come meet Miller's Mom Barbara" Tex said to her.

"You must be Lt Foster." Barbara said with a warm smile.

"Kara, please." She said joining them at the bench to see what they were up to even though she wanted to ask what Miller was up to but then the radio picked up some kind interference. A second later Miller was picking out a small device from the bookshelf. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs Miller." She said with a smile to the woman.

"Ms Miller but you can call me Barb or Barbara." She said with a smile that reminded Kara of Miller as they both had the same smile as well as red hair.

"I heard you had a rough time coming out of Milwaukee today. My partner was there." Kara said supplying how she knew about what happened.

"How is Lt Green doing?" Barbara asked her, Kara was a little surprised that Miller's mom knew Danny was her partner but then realised the woman had been with Tex and Kat so of course she'd be up to speed on everything going on that was Nathan James related.

"Good, he'll be in the hospital for a few more days and then he'll come home." Kara informed her.

"That's good, it's a shame he's been injured but at least you don't have to worry where he is for the next few weeks." Barbara said with a smile.

"True, he'll even be here for our first ultrasound." Kara said, technically it would be her second one but Barbara didn't need to know that and frankly Kara was trying to forget what happened in Baltimore.

"How wonderful." Barbara said in such a warm manner that it made Kara smile as she could see how Miller was such a Momma's boy with someone who was so warm and caring as Barbara. She got that from just a few minutes of meeting her.

"Well, I want visuals for the fridge." Tex said to Kara, joining the conversation while Miller continued to find more listening devices around the house.

"Why?" Kara asked him out of curiosity.

"Well, as the baby's Godfather-" Tex started but Kara cut him off.

"Whoa, who said you were Godfather?" Kara asked him in a teasing manner.

"I nominated myself for the role to save you and Danny the time of agonising over how to choose and well to tell the other guys that you picked ol' Tex to be Godfather. Cause let's be honest, Burk is barely a toddler, Cruz would have that kid playing with guns, Wolf's Australian which enough said and Miller's a puppy." Tex said stating his argument.

"Hey!" Miller said offended at the description but not upset at not being in the running as Godfather for Danny and Kara's kid given he really didn't get why it was a big deal. But at least Kara was getting a good laugh out of it.

"Plus, I know how to change a diaper and I have a babysitter ready to go." Tex said as he moved to Kat and gestured to her like the women on a game show did to the grand prizes.

"What?" Kat asked wondering what she was being roped into.

"The best contraception, is abstinence and experiencing the horrors of changing stinky diapers and baby vomit." Tex told Kat with a smile. She scrunched her nose at him as she didn't like the idea of babysitting in general but maybe she could be swayed by earning money and if Kara really needed her.

"Didn't work for me." Barbara told Tex as she smiled at Miller.

"Mom." Miller groaned mortified as he didn't want to know about his conception let alone have her discuss with everyone in the room.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

* * *

"We have to get her, all non essential crew and family members out of here to Norfolk" Tom said as he wasn't going to leave anyone behind in St Louis after finding out their 'Haven' was made on the systematic deaths of innocent people who matched a certain set of desirable qualities for murderers. He already knew he'd have to find out where Rachel was being kept 'safe' and have her relocated to somewhere he trusted and knew to be safe.

"I can see why Taylor wanted her evaced to Norfolk as it's a safe haven compared to this illusion we're in." Mike said to Tom as they stood out in the front yard of Andrea's property. Her bungalow was too small for them to have a private conversation and frankly Tom wanted to brainstorm without Larrin overhearing them.

The young woman had been through the wringer and after Val just telling her everything without filtering to soften the blow. Sufficed to say, Larrin had ended up in the bathroom upending her stomach thanks to Val telling her that Julian was living out his sick fantasies of killing her on other women who looked like her.

"The only problem is we can't drive her out because the police are looking for her. We have one plane but we'd have to get her onto the base and onto the plane without the military personnel there raising the alarm." Tom said as he didn't feel they could trust their air force counterparts in St Louis given they had knowingly stayed to man the airbase and hospital and not even told them what was going on.

"Well, the Nathan James is in no shape to be sailing out of here." Mike reminded him, in case Tom had thoughts about getting their people on the ship and sailing away in the night.

"I'm not abandoning my ship. We need a plan." Tom said to him.

"We could smuggle her onto the plane in a coffin." Mike suggested, Tom looked at him and shook his head.

"We've had ground crews crawling over that ship and emptying the freezers. It'd raise a lot of questions for a body to just pop up suddenly and need to be transported." Tom reminded him.

"It's an idea, I'm sure Val can mock up the paperwork for us." Mike said.

"Let's call that plan B." Tom said, as an idea came to him. "I think I have a better idea that won't require too much subterfuge." He said as he liked what was forming in his brain.

* * *

"What?" Tex said in disbelief to Kara as they stood in Wolf's room. It was the only room left untouched or un-bugged by the police. Something Neither Tex or Kara could blame them as it was really creepy with all the lizards and furry bedspreads and dog pouf staring at them.

"Yeah, I have no clue what to do. Commander Garnett's happy to have her stay but the police aren't going to stop looking for her." Kara said as she had spent the past twenties minutes telling him about her day and what was happening with Larrin.

"You talk to Larrin about what happened?" Tex asked Kara.

"Not much, I could tell she wanted to talk but people got in the way. You should have seen her, I think she knows her attacker and he has her passport. Without it; she can't apply for asylum or get home to Australia as they won't have access to TSA servers to prove who she claims to be." Kara told him, blowing out a breath as it all made her feel incredibly tense.

"Have you informed the Commodore?" He asked her.

"X.O. knows something is up, so it's safe to say he informed the Captain. My concern is Larrin. I'm going to back over to Garnett's house and check on her." Kara said pressing a palm to her forehead trying to think of a solution where everyone would come out ok.

"Look, right now you gotta find out Larrin's side of the story." Tex said, not that it made a difference. They'd help her anyway but it was the small details they needed to help her fight the charges and keep her safe from whoever attacked her as it was no coincidence that she was attacked and then within hours had a warrant on her ass. He felt in his gut something was wrong as no police officer worth his salt would just let a murderer walk and then later on try to track that person down. If she was really wanted for murder they would have snapped her up the moment she went in to report the crime. End of story.

"I highly doubted she killed four men for kicks. I can't even imagine her doing it." Kara argued.

"It's dog eat dog world, the way my boss talks. I'd say he's got a few bodies buried on his farm." Tex said wryly, he already knew that Kat killed two men because Cort had told him when he tried to catch Kat at the farm in Jackson.

He just didn't know how to broach the subject with her because it was also the same night Claire had died. It felt the grief Kat felt for her mother wasn't something he wanted to stir too much just because he selfishly wanted to make sure she was mentally ok with what happened that night. It was why he'd asked Larrin to just let him know when or if he did have to broach the subject but otherwise he was waiting for Kat to come to him.

"I hate that this place is just another facade like Baltimore." Kara said blanking back tears that burned her eyes. She had wanted St Louis to be as advertised. She wanted her biggest concern to be picking out paint swatches and trying to balance a budget.

"I know, right now we need a rally point in case things get too hot and we need to get out. I'll make sure Barb and Kat have go bags. Looks like I'll have to pull my gear out of storage and get it cleaned and oiled up." Tex said thoughtfully.

"Norfolk should still be safe but it's over 8 hour drive from here." Kara said to him, brainstorming where they'd go from the rally point as it's position would indicate where they'd go next.

"Doesn't it just make you wish we had a pilot." Tex said wryly.

"And a plane." Kara added.

"You think Commodore would give civilians like me and the others a free trip to Norfolk on the sly. I know you guys are working with the Airforce."

"We can ask, I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue. You can all stay at my house with my mother." Kara said, the idea didn't thrill her given it was a small house but it would work.

"Have you spoken to your mother?" Tex asked her, Kara shook her head.

"Ah no, right now I want to believe she's still sober. If I call..." Kara drawled and gave a shrug as it was easy to tell where her thoughts going. If she called and her mother was off the wagon again. Well, Kara just couldn't handle that situation on top of everything else. Right now she didn't know anything, so she could pretend her mother was still sober and happy.

"Fair enough." Tex said understanding her completely as he knew about her mother.

She had told him one night on the Nathan James sometime after she found out she was pregnant. He had made the comment of her parents being over the moon about becoming grandparents in a way to rally her when she was feeling out of sorts. While with anyone else she would have brushed over it. With Tex, she told him the truth as she knew he'd take it at face value and not try to convince her that a baby could change things. But he did make her feel better with some light hearted jokes.

"Yeah, I'm afraid of abandoning Danny if things turn bad and I'm with Larrin." Kara said, she felt like she was in a small way betraying Danny given he was injured and in hospital. She felt she should be at his side but she was here with Tex trying to keep their mismatched family together and safe.

"He'd understand. Wolf's family and Larrin is too, she needs us all." Tex assured her.

"I think I'd rather we go back to our biggest problem being a creepy house than this." Kara grumbled, Tex smiled.

"I know, you should go be with Larrin. I'll keep the homefront here." he told her, Kara nodded knowing he was right.

* * *

An hour later,

"Sir?" Miller said in confusion as he wasn't sure he heard the Captain correctly. He and Cruz had been called to Commander Garnett's house where they were told they were going to be guarding Larrin as she was now a prisoner of the Navy. All of it just after he'd handed live listening bugs over to the Captain informing him of how the police illegally planted listening devices in Tex's house. He'd barely had a chance to tell him about Larrin when the Captain told him that the police didn't have to worry as Larrin was in their custody.

"She's in our custody. If the local police show up, you contact myself or the X.O. immediately, you do not hand her over to them under any circumstances until transport comes for you at 0600 tomorrow. She's being transferred to the brig in Norfolk." Tom told them, he held the container of listening devices; knowing full well if the police followed Miller then they would hear what they were saying.

"Yes, Sir." He and Cruz said in unison acknowledging the order.

"Good, go on." Tom said dismissing them, Cruz and Miller nodded and turned walking away from the Captain heading to the bungalow to do as he ordered. But Miller couldn't help but feel like he was missing something. First the mission to liaise with Milwaukee went south, then Larrin was now a wanted person. They were guarding her as if she were a prisoner. It just didn't sit well with him.

"Told you she was a nutcase, she killed four guys." Cruz told him in what felt like a 'I told you so' tone.

"I don't believe it." Miller said in a matter of fact tone as they walked up the pathway to Commander Garnett's front door that open waiting for them to enter.

"The police came to my apartment waving a photocopy of her passport in my face asking me questions about it." Cruz told him.

"What did you say?" Miller asked him, Cruz stopped as he'd made it to the top stair before the open door and turned to him.

"She's a nice piece, but I have no clue who she was. Dude, Wolf has had our backs from day one of meeting us. I wouldn't sell out him like that and frankly if she offed four guys it was probably cause they had it coming." Cruz told him with a chuckle, they walked into Commander Garnett's bungalow.

"Commander Garnett?" Miller called out feeling weird for walking in and not announcing himself as he closed the front door.

"Yeah, your boots better be clean." She warned them.

"They are." Cruz assured her, though he had no clue so he just hoped they were clean as he didn't want to incur the wrath of Commander Garnett.

"Good." She told them.

"Where's Larrin?" Miller asked.

"Kara's in with her in the spare bedroom. Don't go disturbing them." Andrea told them.

* * *

"Captain Chandler, I'm sorry we called you in at such a late hour." Senator Pierce said when Tom came into Michener's office to find the Senator, the police commissioner for St Louis and Michener waiting for him.

"It's ok, Senator. Your police said it was an emergency with my people." Tom said as he and Mike barely made it two blocks away from Andrea's when they had been flagged down and told to get to the President's office as an emergency involving the Nathan James crew. He knew they'd be quick to pounce on Larrin but this was scarily more efficient than he expected. So Mike dropped him off and went to get Val to work. Tom just hoped his plan worked.

"Yes, Mr President it's come to Commissioner Holliday's attention that the Navy is harbouring a dangerous fugitive." Senator Pierce said speaking for the Commissioner who in Tom's mind was a little young to be in charge of the police force as he looked around his mid 30's.

"What's this?" Michener said looking to Tom for clarification.

"I believe he's referring to Lieutenant Larrin Taylor. You met her at the Inauguration ball." Tom said, Michener looked at him patiently needing more information. "She's wanted for the murders of four men." he added.

"What?" Michener asked confused as he remembered Larrin but not her having a Military rank.

"Yes, I was just as surprised as you are by hearing the news." Tom told him, but his surprise was more about what Senator Pierce and everyone they'd met in St Louis had kept to themselves to keep their illusion of society.

"She's not military." Commissioner Holliday said.

"How can you be so sure? I was told we've had no luck contacting the Australian Government." Michener asked the man.

"She'd have Military ID on her." Holliday argued, thoroughly entrenched in the belief that he was in the right

"Actually, it was on her person when we apprehended her. Something I guess you know all about Commissioner would given your police force has been illegally searching my crew's homes and leaving these behind." Tom said as he pulled out a listening device and placed it onto Michener's desk.

"Is this true?" Michener asked Holliday as he picked up the device, the man cleared his throat looking a little uncomfortable at how it looked.

"The officers who did this will be reprimanded for the actions but let's focus on the issue at hand. The military are overstepping their boundaries. This is a civilian matter, even if she's a member of the Military, she's a civilian here in the US, she murdered four men that we know of who are civilians. So the Navy has to hand Miss Taylor over to us." Holliday answered.

"Captain, I assume you want to respond?" Michener asked Tom as he wasn't sure he was ready to step in and draw a line but trusted Tom enough to know he had his reasons for putting his reputation on the line for this young woman.

"Martial Law is instituted at the time these murders happened and she's a member of the Australian Defence Force which makes this the Military's jurisdiction. So it's our matter to handle" Tom said, he looked to Pierce and Holliday seeing them getting twitchy as they knew they weren't going to win.

"This is just a cheap trick to protect your own." Holliday sneered at him. Tom kept his expression calm even though he was tempted to teach the man the meaning of respect.

"Lt Taylor is in our custody and we will be transporting her to our prison in Norfolk until we can perform a proper investigation of the crimes, identify the victims and contact the Australian government to find out how they'd like us to isn't a cut and dry civilian matter. It has international implications and given the Australian people are our allies we would not want to overstep our bounds with." Tom told Michener in a calm manner.

"You-you can't do this." Senator Pierce said speaking up.

"Actually, he can. There had been precedence for International Military personnel being prosecuted for crimes with civilian victims in a Military court." Michener told him.

"This absurd, she's not military. No ID means not Military. I don't know why we're arguing this." Senator Pierce argued.

"Actually we have the paperwork to prove it. She was here for the Navy's special warfare joint operation training program in Norfolk." Tom said, hoping Val was fast with her work to back him up. This was a major lie he was telling but it would work as long as the other side only had a passport and a flimsy police report. "We'll liaise with the Colorado PD and send out a team to start the investigation in earnest. But for now we're focused on getting Lt Taylor into the appropriate holdings." Tom said to Michener.

"She can be held at the police station." Holliday said to Michener, Tom could feel the desperation rolling off the Senator and the Commissioner to try and get their hands onto Larrin.

"No offence, but I'm not handing her over to you. This has to be handled delicately which is why we're transporting her to Norfolk as soon as we can." Tom said to him.

"Mr President, you can't let this happen. My people here in St Louis have been working tirelessly-" Pierce started but Michener cut him off.

"Senator, this is a Military matter unless you can give me a better argument than what you've given me so far." Michener told him.

"Sir, there is something I need to tell you." Pierce said, he hadn't wanted to tell Michener but he could see Michener wasn't going to side with them and he had to think of the civilians in the zone that could be protected by them handing Larrin over to Julian.

"Senator." Holliday cautioned, Michener exchanged looks with Tom lost as to what was going on.

"He knows already." Pierce throwing a hand up at Tom. Tom wasn't expecting the man to cave but was glad they didn't have to carry on the act. "Why do you think he's holding onto that girl." he said scathingly.

"Senator, please explain yourself." Michener told him in a firm tone.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

* * *

"I want to go home." Larrin said breaking the silence in the room, she let the tears run down the sides of her face, letting herself feel the guilt and grief she constantly pushed away come forth. Kara and she had been laying in the double bed of Andrea's guest bedroom in companionable silence. Though on Larrin's side her thoughts had been consuming her completely. She had been trying to think of how she could just get away and keep them all safe. But her brain was a blank and frankly all the escape and evade training her father pounded into her as a little girl hadn't involved any scenario like she was in right now.

"I know, we'll get you there. I don't know when but we will." Kara promised her, though she didn't know when as she could feel the pain Larrin was in. She was so broken with grief, it was only natural Larrin yearned to want to go home to Australia.

"I don't know why you're here. You know the truth, I wasn't just running all that time with no contact with other people. Everyone knows and you know what's funny. My dad would be so proud of me but Wolf, he's going to be angry at himself like it's his fault when it's all mine." Larrin said with a humourless laugh, she knew that Kara found out about her dark secret.

"Larrin, we've all done things we're not proud of to survive. We've all trusted the wrong people. You're no Robinson Crusoe." Kara told her, trying to get her to understand that they all made mistakes and bad things happen.

"Yes, but you joined the military knowing one day you might be in that position where you'd have to kill someone. You trained for it and spent months becoming accustomed to the reality so by the time you find yourself in a situation like that, you'd made up your mind how you feel about a lot of things." Larrin argued.

"Not entirely true. Yes, we are trained and we do make up our minds about how we feel about our work in the general sense. But they don't prepare us for every possible worse case scenario." Kara told her as she thought of Baltimore and the Avocet labs. She propped her head up on her elbow and looked to Larrin.

"I've been in the Navy for a few years and let me tell you. Majority of my career has been inside the CIC where our goal is to take out a target which in most cases is a marker on a computer screen." Kara said, it was more complex than that but she felt she needed to simplify it for Larrin so she understood. "It's easier to have a sense detachment because you're really a cog in a well oiled machine. You're following orders and doing what you're trained to do. You trust the people in the room beside you and the person at the top to be making the right decisions at that time with the information on hand." Kara told her.

Larrin stared at the ceiling, Kara knew she was listening as she wasn't the kind of person to push out or ignore different opinions. She took a deep breath and continued.

"There's a comfort in working in a crew because you have people surrounding you in the same situation. We all back one another but I also know what it's like to be scared and alone. To have to fight for your life and do things you'd never expect you'd have to. Just to survive." Kara admitted, she had never told anyone what she was about to say. But she trusted Larrin enough to share with her as she felt it would help her just as much as it'd help Kara to share it. "The first time I heard my baby's heartbeat, the first time I saw my baby in an ultrasound; I was a prisoner in a laboratory." Kara told her.

Larrin looked to her not sure what to say but Kara gave her a sad smile and continued. "We trusted the wrong people and lost control of the situation. Luckily for me, I wasn't on my own and I had helped. You didn't have that luxury. I know you hoped you could forget about it and move on. We all want that but now your chickens have come home to roost. But this time you're not alone. You have Wolf and a lot people to help you. You just have to let us in." Kara told her.

"You can't help me. Val said it, I can give a zone 6 months of freedom. It's why the cops are trying to find me. To hand me over to them and they will because I can't hide here forever." Larrin told her.

"We'll figure this out." Kara assured her.

"Julian hunted me for weeks. The only reason he stopped was that I stabbed him in the neck. But I didn't do a very good job as I didn't check to make sure he was really dead, so it just slowed him down. It's why this is so hard, because I'm going to have to go back out there." Larrin told her.

"No you won't." Kara promised her as she wished she could convince Larrin that she was safe. But the young woman was already certain her fate was sealed and nothing they said could sway her otherwise. It made Kara wish Wolf was here as she felt maybe he'd be able to reach Larrin.

"You can't guarantee that and I barely beat him the first time. So I doubt my chances are good with this." She said being practical and a defeatist in one go as she held up her broken arm.

* * *

"Why would you lie to me?" Michener demanded of Senator Pierce as the man came completely clean on everything that had happened in St Louis and how he'd managed to maintain control over the zone. Commissioner Holliday remained silent but Tom hated how unrepentant h and Pierce were. They actually felt their actions were justifiable.

"Please, you're judging me as we speak but I've saved over 100,000 lives, I have a working economy and our people are flourishing. I've accomplished the impossible. Just the other day you were cheering my efforts." Pierce argued.

"How many people died for you to have this Utopia?" Michener asked the man as he felt he should have told Tom to keep sailing to Norfolk instead of staying in St Louis.

"It was negligible." Pierce answered in a pragmatic manner.

"Which means you stopped counting after a number. Did you reach double digits? What were you going to tell the families of the people you sacrificed." Michener scoffed at him, he sat back in his seat as he thought of the implications it meant to his presidency and how their international allies would never forgive them for their actions. Sacrificing tourists and anyone with proper identification to monsters.

"They died from the virus. Honestly these are people who weren't going to be missed." Pierce said defensively, it was clear he'd settled this situation with his conscience as he knew what he did was wrong but decided it was worth it because he saved thousands of lives.

"My God." Michener said in disbelief.

"Why don't you tell the President why Larrin Taylor is so important." Tom prompted, the Senator looked at him with disgust as Tom had been prompting the man to fess up to his crimes. But otherwise he'd remain silent throughout most of Senator Pierce's confession.

"She will earn us a 6 month reprieve from having to supply Julian and his scavengers with sport. It will save lives." Pierce told Michener.

"You peddle flesh to save your own skin." Michener said scathingly as he thought the rhetoric of the immunes being a superior race chosen by God was bad. He'd thought it had made him a horrible person for believing it to be true but this was much worse.

"I kept this pocket of society alive. If we don't hand her over, he'll come in with his men and destroy this zone. For a woman who is indeed a murderer. She's no innocent." Pierce argued as if it was ok to let a psychopath take Larrin and do what he wanted with her as long as thousands of lives were saved.

"She acted in self defence." Tom told Pierce, not that it made her innocent but it meant the deaths of those men was a necessary evil for her to survive. Something he couldn't begrudge her as he'd want Darien or his Daughter Ashley to have done the same if they had been in Larrin's shoes.

"Clearly." Michener said in agreement with Tom, he looked to the Senator not sure what to do with the man. "Also she would be considered a 'Killer' given she hasn't been convicted though I doubt anyone would convict her given the circumstances." Michener told Pierce.

"Well, you're condemning this city to death by protecting her." Pierce told him, Michener looked to Tom as he was at a complete loss as to what to do.

"We can try to tackle this problem head on but you need to stop jamming our comms; so I can liaise with my people in Norfolk and Chicago." Tom told Pierce.

* * *

"Larrin," Miller said in surprise as he came into the kitchen for a coffee, he smiled glad to see her up but when she turned around his smile slipped for a moment as he took in her injuries. Anger boiled in him at seeing her injuries. Kara had left over half an hour ago to check in with Danny at the hospital before going back to Tex's.

"Hey, ah- when did you get here?" She asked him, feeling a little awkward as she saw the flash of anger and understood it wasn't directed at her but still she didn't want him seeing her like this. Her face and body were aching, her eyes bloodshot from crying. She was a mess and not the hot kind either.

"A couple hours ago. What happened to you?" Miller asked her, Larrin waved a dismissive hand as she moved to the cupboard and pulled out a glass to get herself some water.

"My past caught up to me." Larrin said as she filled the glass. She flinched at the sound of a loud snore erupt from the darkened lounge room.

"It's Cruz." Miller told her as he saw her flinch and wanted to assure her that the only danger Cruz possessed was to one's chances of a goodnight's sleep.

"Ok." She said trying to calm her frayed nerves. Her hand shook as she lifted the glass to take a drink making her wish she could just keep it together.

"Larrin, who did this to you?" He asked, she gave a pained smile and shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about it. Did you find your Mum?" she asked as she leaned against the kitchen sink and looked to him.

"Yeah, I did. She's safe and sound over at Tex's." Miller told her, a smile gracing his lips as he was so happy to have found his mother alive. He also liked that Larrin had asked even though she was in a mess of a situation. She still cared about those around her.

"That's so good." She said with genuine happiness for him. Though part of her felt a little saddened as she'd probably not get to see her mother again. If Julian got to her soon then she'd probably not see her brother before...

"Yeah, it's great." Miller said, he looked to Larrin to see her smile had been replaced with a crestfallen expression and tears in her eyes. "Larrin." he said softly seeing her pain.

"NNo, I'm ok." She said vainly trying to smile and failing as her emotions swelled up in her. Grief of what she was losing and the fear of her own future. All of it was consuming her to the point her heart was breaking as time was running out for her..

"No, you're not. Come here" he said, he would have asked permission but he felt like she would have said 'no' and his slight order seemed to make something snap in her as she closed the space between them and straight into his arms. He wrapped her arms around her as gently as he could as he was afraid of exacerbating her injuries. "It's going to be ok." he told her.

"It's not," she told him, tears ran down her face as she buried it into his shirt allowing herself to immerse herself in his strength and the comfort of just being held even if she wanted him to hold her tighter. This was going to have to be enough. "I'm being hunted and even if I could beat him. I can't change what I did." she told him.

"Larrin, I don't believe you murdered them." Miller told her.

"Then you're a fool because I did." She said pushing herself out of his arms and turned her back to him. She wiped a hand down her face and shaking her head as she was the fool.

"Larrin, I know you pretty well." He told her.

"They were hunting me and I turned the game around on them. I killed them all. The girl I showed you was just who I want to be seen as, who I want to be." She told him.

"I've killed people too, for basically the same reasons as you. I wanted to survive, I know how horrible it feels and all thoughts that go through your head. Yes, it does change you but it doesn't define you. Just as it doesn't define who I am." He told her,

Larrin closed the space between them and grabbed the back of his neck with her uninjured hand and lifted up on her feet and covered his lips with hers. Miller was momentarily stunned by the move but reflexes kicked in. He wrapped his arms around her drawing her even closer as his lips moved with an urgency, giving it his very best effort.

She kissed him hard, right there in the kitchen. She didn't care who could see them, she simply didn't give a damn anymore. He kissed her just as fiercely, clinging to her as if he were never going to let her go. But a kiss wasn't enough. Nothing seemed enough to Larrin now she could feel everything crashing in on her. She pulled away from the kiss; knowing she had to stop as it wasn't fair to Miller.

They looked at one another for a long moment, ust catching their breath. Larrin moved her hand to face and gave a pained smile as she had the horrible realisation that this was all they'd have. It just felt so unfinished and damnably unfair.

"Thank you for saying that." she whispered to him, she turned and ran back to the guest bedroom. She closed the door and slide down to the floor; tears ran down her face. She dropped her face to her knees and wrapped her arms around her knees hugging herself into a ball as she let her pain get the best of her.

* * *

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." A man said shaking Rachel's shoulder. She winced in pain as he jarred her injured side. She opened her eyes, it took a few seconds for her vision to clear but when she couldn't help but gasp in horror.

"You like my note." the man with the most vivid green eyes asked her, Rachel looked to the wall where Emmerson the US Marshall laid dead on the floor, Dr Clarke was standing to the side her face badly bleeding as another man held a gun at her. On the wall he'd written 'STL: Larrin, 3 days' there was a radio frequency written below that she could only assume was the man's phone number.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

"Oh don't worry, you're safe Dr Scott. You're too old for my tastes. I just need you to motivate the right people into relinquishing my little rabbit." he said, Rachel tried to move away from him as he dragged his fingers down the side of her neck in a loving gesture. He just smiled at her revulsion. "You see, I haven't finished with her yet. So let's get you out of here." he told her.

"I can't be moved in my state. If you want me to live-"

"Then I'll need an ambulance to transport you. Yes, I know and how rude of me. My name is Julian and I'm here to see you have the best care until your Captain comes for you with my Larrin in trade." He told her with what she was sure would have been a charming smile in any other situation but right here and now made her skin crawl.

"He'll never trade me for another." Rachel promised him as she knew Tom, he'd never trade another life for hers.

"Oh, that's adorable given you and he were apparently very flirty before you got shot. "Come find me", looks like you'll get your chance to throw him an invite." He told her. Rachel frowned as she wondered how he could possibly know what Tom had said to her that night before she went back to her hotel room.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

* * *

"Those people in your prison that we saw when we went to interrogate the shooter. Who are they?" Tom asked Senator Pierce and Commissioner Holliday, he really wanted to lock the man up but now wasn't the time as he needed someone who knew what was going on and while they had the packet from Lt Commander Burk.

In less than an hour; Lt Granderson, Burk and Wolf would be back in St Louis. Lt Commander Cameron Burk with them even if he was reluctant to leave his post. But Tom had been forceful in his order reminding the man that there was still a chain of command he was outranked him. He had met Burk's older brother at a rubber chicken dinner a few years ago. He knew the young man had a fairly impressive record as a sailor and officer but it seemed in the last few months he might have gotten too big for his own boots as he'd spoken to Tom in a manner that could be considered insubordinate. But Tom was letting slide for now as the world they knew was in disarray.

"People, we've collected and don't think we're going to release them either. You don't have a solution for our problem and your military abandoned us." Holliday told him, he folded his arms as he truly felt his choices was completely acceptable given he was protecting the majority. Tom didn't know why but he had a feeling Holliday wasn't really cop or not a very good one as it should cut across the grain for him to go against the ethos of being a police officer.

"The military didn't abandon you" Tom told Holliday as they were all standing in the command centre looking over the updated maps of America and their region. He already had an idea of how to tackle the problem but he needed Lt Commander Burk on hand to help him coordinate it as the man had a better idea of what was going on and what was in their realm of possible actions.

"Well, we only have a week to produce Miss Taylor or the Scavengers will overrun and destroy this zone. Just hand her over and save us all the time" Holliday told him in a firm tone that said there was no point in trying to fight the inevitable.

"How many Scavengers are there out there?" Tom asked him.

"We don't know given they don't exactly do roll call." Holliday said snidely.

"How about you cut the attitude and help me here." Tom told the man.

"Julian Heldt is not a man to messed around with and he's been looking for this girl for a while. Now we're lucky he's giving us a deadline. So we have her, let's finish this." Holliday said plain and simple.

"Handing her over to Heldt only buys you time, it doesn't solve the ongoing problem." Tom argued.

"What do you suggest we do?" Holliday asked throwing his hands up in annoyance.

"How many men and women do you have under your command?" Tom asked him.

"105 police officers in this city and it's barely enough but thankfully people understand that committing a crime can lead you to becoming sport." Holliday told him.

"A real deterrent I'm sure." Mike drawled as he joined them, he looked to Tom and moved close to his side. "Emmerson's gone dark." Mike told Tom in a low voice to him. Tom felt his stomach bottom out as he couldn't help but think the worst. He stepped away from the others to the far side of the room. Tom didn't want them overhearing their conversation.

"Where did he take her?" Tom asked him, he'd let Mike handle that side of business as he knew nothing about the procedures of placing someone into witness protection or how to handle Rachel's situation. Mike's background as a cop and detective had come in handy on the front.

"He stayed within the state lines which one would think is a small blessing given what we've learned. I've dispatched a team to find out but it will take them a few hours to get there as it's rough terrain." Mike told him.

"We should never have sent her away." Tom said to him, kicking himself for thinking Rachel leaving their sight was a good thing.

"It had to be done, let's just hope for the best." Mike said.

"But prepare for the worst. You look into our friend here?" Tom asked referring to Holliday, they knew the Senator was who he claimed to be as he'd been strongly against the military and tried cutting their funding in the last budget review. It wasn't hard to forget the bigwigs who supported and those who were against them especially when they made as much noise as Senator Pierce had made.

"Yeah, found nothing before the pandemic." Mike said to him.

"Think he's one of them?" Tom said as it made sense for the Scavengers to have someone in a high up position to make sure all the Zone leaders were doing as they were told.

"Could be," Mike said not ready to say either way but he couldn't believe that any policeman under the age of forty earned the right to be his mind it was a job given to men and women who had a few more battle scars and experience under their belts.

* * *

"Hey, you're looking a little green there." Wolf said to Doc, as they were in a tiny 10 seater plane flying towards St Louis. He was glad that the Captain had been able to re-establish communications with them and ordered them back. They were just luck there was a pilot and small airfield nearby. Luckily there hadn't been any resistance getting to the airfield from the scavengers.

"I think I don't like flying." Doc told him as she gripped the armrest between their seat to the point her knuckles were white. She also didn't look so great as she did look green and ready to vomit as she was slowly inhaling and exhaling but in her defense it wasn't a smooth flight.

"Think?" he asked her, already knowing the answer but felt the need to distract her.

"First flight I can remember and I'm not liking." She told him with a weak smile.

"Well, don't worry it's a short flight." Wolf assured her feeling bad for her as it was rough to find out you didn't like something and then have to endure an hour and half of it with rough turbulence.

"Oh yeah what's there to worry about? The possible vomit, the fact we're flying in a coke can with wings thousands of miles above solid ground-" She started but Wolf cut her off.

"Ok, I'd say go to your happy place but you probably don't remember where it is." Wolf teased her, she gave him a droll look and shook her head at him.

"I bet you're happy. Getting back to your sister though you're going to pay for it with your concussion and all this bouncing around." Doc told him, a little happy that he'd probably have a killer of a headache so she was going to let his poor humour roll off her.

"I'll live." he said with a half shrug as he looked forward. The plane dipped as it hit an air pocket, Doc gave a muffled squeal as she swore they were all going to die in a horrible plane crash. Wolf placed his hand on top of hers. The contact of his warm strong hand seemed to soothe her some.

"It's ok." he told her.

"What's your sister like?" Doc asked him as the plane levelled out and mental imagery of their dead bodies being impaled on hot twisted metal slowly went to the back of her mind. She blew out a slow breath and did her best to be cool even though she was failing.

"Smart, looks like me with longer hair." Wolf told her.

"She must be one ugly woman." Doc said to him with an amused smile, Wolf chuckled.

"Cheers." he replied drily.

"Well, you know you're alright looking for a guy." Doc said with a shrug, trying once to be cool but a light blush crept across her cheeks. So she was lying but there was no way in hell she'd feed his ego.

"Tell me you're a lesbian because that hurts." Wolf told her in a mocking manner.

"I have no idea." She offered with an innocent smile

"One way to find out." He told her with a grin. She pursed her lips trying not to smile at the subtle offer that made her wonder if he was truly having a joke at her expense or flirting with her.

"Yeah because in this crazy post apocalyptic world learning what my sexual orientation is top priority." She remarked in wry manner.

"I'd say so for the sake of my ego and vanity." he deadpanned.

* * *

"Can't sleep?" Tex asked Kat, who just came down the stairs. He was having trouble sleeping himself as he was sitting on the couch in his own thoughts.

"Yeah." She told him as she went to the fridge and pulled out the milk. She placed some into a saucepan and turned on the hotplate warming it up. "Honey milk?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm good." Tex said with a soft smile as honey milk was her go to drink when she couldn't sleep. It seemed Kat learned well.

"Do you think Larrin is really ok?" Kat asked him as she warmed the milk on the stove and moved around the kitchen pulling out the honey in preparation.

"Yeah, Kara said she's banged up a bit but she'll be fine." Tex assured her, watching Kat and seeing so much of Claire in the way she moved and looked. It gave him a slight pang of grief at Claire being gone,knowing that he was definitely a poor replacement for parent. But he was going to do his best for her.

Kat remained silent for a few minutes and made her honey milk. Tex wished not for the first time in many years that he was a mind reader as he could see Kat was chewing on something in her head. She sat down on the lounge curling up into the corner with her leg folded and her bug in her hands.

"I remember you and Mom doing that when you were just a tiny titch. Sharing honey milk. Though you'd be in her lap trying to steal the mug from her." Tex said with a soft smile, the memory of Kat being 4 years old sitting in Claire's lap played through in his mind. He could hear Claire's musical laugh as she showed Kat all the patience in the world as the milk cooled down.

Kat looked at him and gave a smile, even with grief threatening to overwhelm her. "Honey milk is just as good as ice cream. Sometimes even better." Kat told him, she drank a sip of honey milk enjoying the soft and warm feelings that wrapped up inside her as it invoked good memories and brought her comfort from years of drinking it to help her sleep.

"You know, you can talk to me about anything. I know I got a lot to make up for but know I'm not going anywhere." He told her sincerely.

"I know." Kat said, overwhelmed as she saw how much it meant for him to be acknowledge. Just as much as it meant to her that he was here and trying. After the years of coming and going; she was glad he was finally putting down roots for her which was why she was doing her best not to resent that it took him so long to get here. That a pandemic and her losing her Mom brought him here. "But I'm worried." she admitted to him.

"About what?" he asked her.

"Larrin," Kat said, she really liked the young woman. They'd become friends, in some ways Kat felt like Larrin was like the older sister she wanted. Someone to lean on but could tell secrets to without getting into trouble. "She told me some stuff about where she was before St Louis. We both know what it's like out there." She said, trying to tell her Dad without giving too much away because she was worried about Larrin and it was too far out of her realm to help her.

"You should know Court told me what happened with Mom. About the scavengers who came around the place," Tex told her, Kat looked down at her cup and nodded as she knew the old man would tell her Dad. She wasn't trying to hide it but she also hadn't wanted him to give her platitudes.

"Larrin's like me, we just did what we had to to survive. But she feels really guilty about what she did but I feel guilty because I was too slow not because of what I did." Kat said to him, she watched as Tex took a deep breath and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I can understand that feeling as I also feel guilty for being too slow in getting to you and Mom." Tex told her, Kat nodded as she knew how he felt on the score. It was why she wasn't angry at him.

"You were helping the Nathan James in getting the cure." She said, Tex smiled even though he didn't feel absolved.

"You did the best you could to save Mom. She knows that and so do I. You're going to carry what happened with you for a while, but you shouldn't let it eat you up. You got a whole future ahead of you." He told her.

"I know." Kat told him with a nod as it was what Larrin had told , she said to put it behind her and keep moving forward as there was no way she could change the past. Dwelling on it didn't serve any purpose but wasting time and energy; something Kat wished Larrin would do for herself as she saw the way Larrin's guilt ate at her. Sure she pretended she was fine but in the quiet moments Kat saw behind the mask.

"And if you ever want to talk about it. Don't hesitate, I don't care if it's not me. Just as long as you talk with someone about it. If you feel you need more help than anyone in this house can provide I'll do what I can to get it for you. You just gotta say the word." Tex told her.

"I will." Kat assured him. "But it's not me who needs help. It's Larrin, she's in trouble." she told him.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

* * *

Mike stood outside the hangar smoking a cigar. He knew he shouldn't be smoking in general and usually he smoked in celebration but right now he just needed the soothing motions of puffing on cigar, the relaxing scent of the smoke rolling off the end. It was a long day and it was an even longer night. So he needed the ten minutes of just sinking into his favourite pass time to leave everything behind and refresh himself.

The plane carrying Taylor, Burk, Granderson and three others from Chicago was taxi-ing up to the terminal. He exhaled smoke into the air with a sad sigh as his ten minutes up. He moved to the closest bin and snuffed out the cigar.

The plane came to a stop and airport staff rushed out to secure the plane and help with whatever procedures followed when a plane landed. Mike held his ground and looked to Wallace who walked up to stand next to him.

"You know where you're going?" Mike asked the man.

"Yes, Sir." he told him with a nod. Mike remained silent as the door opened and a staircase unfolded down to the ground. Passengers walked off the plane towards them.

Mike held his ground, he watched as Wolf was at the head of the group completely disregarding any military decorum but Mike was letting it slide given he'd feel the same if his family was in trouble. Hell, his family was in trouble he just had no clue where they were or how to help them.

"Taylor," Mike said in greeting to the man. "Wallace is going to take you to your sister but you need to be prepared." Mike cautioned him.

"Sir?" Wolf asked not sure how to interpret Mike's warning but also glad that he had a ride to see Larrin immediately even though he was supposed to be getting debriefed first. Though he couldn't help but feel cold dread pool inside of him at the Commander's warning.

"She was assaulted this morning, she's going to be ok but she's wrecked. She confessed to what happened her before she ended up here and it's left her unsettled." Mike said not seeing any point in dressing it up pretty for the man. Though 'unsettled' was not the best way to describe it. She was more resigned to a gruesome fate than expecting them to save her.

"I thought you got the message to evacuate her to Norfolk." Wolf said carefully as he tried to keep his anger tamped down as it it had been a long afternoon for him and the headache pounding at his temples was not helping his mood.

"We did but it happened hours before we knew what was going on." Mike told him not even insulted at Wolf's visible but contained anger at the situation.

"It's that Julian character." Wolf said as he'd badgered Cameron telling him about Larrin and then he thought of Doc. How she was one of his victims.

"Yes, we've already spoken with her about it and she's safe. So go with Wallace, see her, get some rest and we'll call you in later today ok?" Mike told him, Wolf gave a curt nod understanding he wasn't being asked if it was 'ok' but being given an order.

"Yes, Sir and thank you." He told the Commander. The man gave a nod and with that Wolf looked to Wallace.

Mike watched as Wolf and Wallace walked way heading to a vehicle to get them to Andrea's place. He then squared his shoulders as he moved towards the stragglers. Burk and Granderson looked like they needed at least a week of R&R as they walked slowly and in pain. Mike knew Wolf was in no better shape but the man was driven by his need to protect his family. So he was going to collapse.

"Sir," Burk and Alisha both said in succession as they saluted him. He gave a nod acknowledging the salute.

"You both ok?" he asked them.

"They both have whiplash and concussions among other minor injuries. They need rest and at least a week to fully recover before going back in the field." A woman with wild and wavy red hair that was barely contained in a braid told him. He looked her over, noting the navy digi pants and navy coloured t-shirt, combat boots matched with a shabby white lab coat.

She had a tall African American sailor Mike presumed to be Lt Commander Cameron Burk given he was immaculate in his uniform and general deportment in comparison to his companion. She smacked of civilian while Burk Snr was Military to the bone.

"We're a little bruised Sir, but good to go if you need us." Burk assured Mike.

"No, we'll listen to Doctor..." Mike drawled waiting for a named to be supplied.

"Sir, her name is Doc." Lt Commander Burk informed him.

"Like Maddona?" Mike asked wryly if this was some kind of joke at his expense.

"No, as in I have amnesia and can't remember my name but I know how to do my job. Hence 'Doc'." She told him in a bored tone that said she couldn't care less what he thought of her.

"Lt Commander Cameron Burk." Cameron said introducing himself before he explained Doc being here. "She's one of our doctors in Chicago. I asked her to join us as she is the one who built the profiles on the most prominent Scavengers and their archetypes." Cameron explained.

"I also wanted access to a lab." She added, she wanted to run blood tests on herself. There was a lab in Chicago but it wasn't really set up for what she wanted to look at.

"Commander Mike Slattery, we'll see what we can do but for now the scavengers are our main priority." he said offering his hand to her. She shook his hand and gave a nod understanding that once they addressed the current issue or when they didn't need her she could go off and do her own thing.

"Nice to meet you." Doc told him.

"The Captain wants to speak with you both immediately before we call it a night and regroup in the later in the morning." Mike informed them.

"Yes, Sir." Cameron said, Mike looked Granderson and Burk.

"You two go home and rest. We'll call when we need you, Kudleski will drive you to your respective homes." he told them, the two nodded and walked off leaving Mike with Doc and Cameron.

"Let's go." he told them.

* * *

"She's probably sleeping." Miller offered to Wolf when he came into the bungalow. Commander Garnett left the house as soon as he arrived dressed in BDU's heading to the command centre. Wolf wondered how much everyone knew as Wallace commented on how much of a flurry the command centre was with people coming going.

Wolf tried to pry information out of him about Larrin and all the man knew was that Larrin was wanted for murder but Captain Chandler gave the order for them not to hand her over. But that was all he really knew, which didn't help Wolf as he only had pieces of the story. But now he stood in Garnett's bungalow with Miller and Cruz; the two men were seated at the small dining table having coffee.

"How is she?" Wolf asked Miller, he wanted to see Larrin for himself but given the commander warned him to be prepared he decided he'd poke his head in and see if she was awake. If she wasn't he'd let her sleep. He knew he needed some sleep himself.

"Not good." Miller told him as honestly as he could as he really wasn't sure how analyze the situation. He didn't know Larrin or what was going on to give a proper response. He had to admit he was still reeling from the kiss. It had been great but in a way bittersweet as he felt like she was telling him goodbye.

"What she say to you?" Wolf asked.

"Not much, you should really ask her yourself." Miller told him as he didn't really want Cruz to put in his two cents of trying to confirm Larrin was a nutter. Wolf nodded and gave a tired sigh.

"Ok, is everybody else ok?" Wolf asked him, changing topics as he moved to the dining table and sat down. He really needed to lay down and rest but he knew sleep wouldn't come easy.

"Yeah, all good and safe at Tex's. Green took some in the vest and was hit in the leg but nothing major. He should be out of the hospital tomorrow." Miller told him.

"You alright? how's your Mom?" Wolf asked.

"All good, she's at the house with Tex and the others." Miller told him.

"You trust Tex around your Mom?" Cruz asked him.

"Why not?" Miller asked confused.

"He's single, she's single." Cruz offered like it completely made sense to him that the two would just naturally become a couple.

"Yes, that means they should totally get married and Tex adopt me. Then I can finally have a Dad." Miller said mockingly as he pretended to totally on board with it until he threw Cruz an incredulous look. "Come on, man. Everyone knows Tex is hooked up on Dr Scott." he added.

"No way, she was just easy pickings." Cruz said dismissing the idea of Tex and Dr Scott.

"Easy?" Wolf asked him as he wouldn't describe Dr Scott as 'Easy'.

"Ok the only pickings on the ship given Green told him no fraternizing with the crew which is fairly hypocritical coming from him." Cruz stated with an amused smile.

* * *

"Tom," Mike said, pulling the man away from the table. Senator Pierce was seated but with his head down as he slept on the desk. Michener stood to the side looking lost as to what to do. Holliday just leaned against the wall looking bored but wide awake.

Lt Commander Burk was communicating with his people while the woman known as Doc just watched the room.

"They find her?" Tom asked Mike.

"No, they found Emmerson dead and a message." Mike said, judging by his face Tom knew it wasn't good news.

"What did it say?" Tom asked him.

"We have three days and a radio channel to make contact to trade presumably Larrin for Dr Scott. " Mike said. Tom cursed under his breath.

"What's happened?" Michener asked them. Tom turned and picked up a folder filled the brim with paper. He walked over to the table and dropped it on the table. The sharp sound of the folder hitting the desk as well as the vibrations woke up the Senator and caught the attention of everyone else in the room. The man sat up looking bleary eyed but scared.

"They have Dr Scott." Tom said, he watched the shocked expression on Senator's face as he knew nothing. Michener looked stricken by the news as he had been agreement of Rachel being taken away from St Louis to deal with the Immunes. Though it wasn't the immunes they had to worry about but the group 'Scavengers' that they had created.

"He wants Larrin for Dr Scott." Holliday said smugly like he'd been telling them all along except the Commissioner had never been involved with Rachel's case. They were read in but they'd kept out the details of her being alive so Tom had expected him to be shocked not smug.

"Yes, how about you tell us what you really know." Tom said looking to the man as he'd just shown his true colours without realising it.

"I don't know anything past what's been said in this room." Holliday lied and they all knew it.

"Somehow I doubt that as you're the only one in the room who seems to know what's going on and I said 'they' not 'he' and I also didn't mention there was an offer on the table to trade." Tom told him.

"Look, I've dealt with Heldt. I know what he wants and that he'll do anything to get it. Larrin's his little rabbit; the one that got away. So of course he'd take someone just as valuable and trade. Dr Scott is too old for his tastes, so she'll be unharmed." Holliday said in a matter of fact tone.

"How reassuring." Tom remarked drily. "Do you know where the people you hand over to Heldt and his men go afterwards?" Tom asked him.

"We meet in a field. I have no idea where he goes and I pretend not to believe what he does with the people. Their bodies don't turn up in our borders so it's not my jurisdiction." Holliday informed him.

"What kind of cop are you?" Doc asked him.

"A pragmatic one. There is no paradise without sacrifice." Holliday told her.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

* * *

"Hey, how's it going?" Tex asked as he came into Danny's room. It was just past 8am and thanks to a box of cinnamon rolls and charm he was allowed by the nursing staff to flout visitor's hours 'this one time'.

"Tex, how are you?" Danny asked surprised to see the man.

"Good, I got the morning off." Tex said as he was looking forward to hanging out with Kat. She and Kara were on a run at the moment with Halsey. He doubted that they'd go as far or as fast as Halsey liked as Tex Knew Kara knew was more into a steady jog which was a slower tempo than Kat's.

He'd been on a run with Kat at her speed and learned that his girl could run circles around him. Something he was proud of even if it did make him feel old and slow. He told his ego that Kat was a string bean unlike he who was carrying around more muscle. That and he could keep up with Green, so he wasn't that slow.

"Where's Kara?" Danny asked him as Tex placed down the half empty box of cinnamon roll on the table and rolled it over so it was over Danny's lap.

"Running with Kat and Halsey. I brought you breakfast." Tex said as he flipped the box open.

"It's half empty." Danny remarked with an amused smile as he looked into the large box that carried only 4 cinnamon rolls in

"Your ass will thank me and the staff won't check your prostate this week. So you're welcome." Tex told him with a smile as Danny blanched slightly at the mention of a prostate exam.

"But no coffee?" Danny asked him, as he pulled one of the cinnamon rolls away for the pack and took a bite. It tasted amazing but then he wasn't one to really indulge in such decadent food as it was counter productive to staying in shape. But damned if it didn't taste good.

"Geez, there's no pleasing you. No wonder Kara won't marry your sorry ass." Tex joked with a chuckle as he pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I haven't asked her yet. But I think I know how I'm going to do it." Danny told him as he licked his lips really enjoying the cinnamon roll.

"You mean get down on one knee and ask the question? It's not rocket science." Tex informed Danny in an amused manner as he really didn't understand why Danny felt he needed to do a whole song and dance. He'd just asked Claire on the spot, no fancy dinners or hot air balloon rides. Tex had been listening to all of Danny's hair brain schemes ever since they left Norfolk and the kid had some really unrealistic idea of proposing. He also had some really terrible ones that Tex had managed to talk him out of.

"I was thinking maybe that I could get into the house given I'm going to be out of action for a while. As long as I don't push it and pull some guys into help me. I could propose to her in the house." Danny said to Tex.

"When exactly do you want to ask her?" Tex asked wondering what timeline Danny had on this. He liked the idea the man had. He wanted to propose to Kara in their soon to be family home. It had a nice touch to it but it meant a lot of preparation and hard work.

"Well, how long do you think it would take us to get the lounge room fixed up?" Danny asked him.

"How many friends you got? Cause we could potentially knock it over in a week" Tex told him, but he knew he wouldn't be able to help much as it was really down the crew of the Nathan James to pitch in to help them. But it did give Tex an idea.

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Julian asked Rachel.

"You drugged me." Rachel said as the feelings washing through her were euphoric but at the same time unsettling as her brain understood she wasn't safe. She also hated not being in control of her faculties especially against her choice. But right now it was all completely out of her control. Damned if it was conflicting as everything felt good given she was a prisoner, Dr Sasha Clarke sat in a chair by the wall with her wrists cuffed in front of her. She looked petrified and in pain as her posture was stiff and her expression filled with fear. She definitely wasn't in the same hold of drugs as Rachel.

"Had to keep you placid, wouldn't want you running away." He said as he smoothed a hand down the side of her face in a loving gesture like she were a treasured pet. Part of her was disgusted but the sensation of human contact just pressed all the right buttons in her. "So I gave you a little something to make you feel good and help ease that pain for you see ; I'm not a complete monster." Julian cooed at her.

"That's debatable." Rachel told him, as she looked down to find her wrists and ankles bound to the bed in restraints. He just chuckled as he sat down on her bed and looked at her with an amused smile.

"Tell me doctors are you both familiar with PKM-zeta inhibitor commonly known as ZIP" he asked them as he looked between Dr Clarke and Rachel.

"Zeta Interacting Protein. It's an experimental drug being tested with PTSD sufferers. Wreck victims, soldiers who've seen combat... Used sparingly, it can erase selected memories." Dr Clarke answered in a shaken manner. Julian clapped his hands mockingly as he applauded her.

"Yes, interesting isn't it. I've been doing my own research with many female subjects. Too much and they completely forget who they are. Too little and the memories come back in fragments to the point the brain can put the pieces together. Not exactly the desired results but I think I got a handle on it well enough to achieve what I want." Julian said to them as he moved on the bed so he had a view of both of him. Rachel moved her legs not wanting him to touch her even if her brain was telling her conflicting messages as the sheets of the bed felt amazing against her skin. It reminded her of hotel sheets even though she knew they were cheap bedding.

"I doubt that." Rachel said taking in the room as it looked like they were in an run down hospital, hence she knew the sheets were low thread count and cheap. The place had a musty smell to it, and from the state of the room it was easy to judge that it had laid months unused. She looked out the window momentarily distracted as the dust mites danced through the air in the sunlight.

"You know, part of me is tempted to completely wipe your memories give you a clean slate. Definitely throw the world into more chaos. Definitely distract the Captain from thinking he can take me on." Julian said, Rachel looked back to him wondering if he was being serious but then didn't care.

"He'll destroy you and dismantle your empire no matter what you do to me." Rachel told him which at this point was the only thing that made her smile as she knew no matter what happened to her. Julian wouldn't last the month as Tom and the Nathan James would take care of him and his people.

"My empire spans the continental US, and I always get what I want. My army is also bigger than the US Military. They think they are winning by picking up our scraps. 'Saving' people but they aren't, they're just buying them time. Just as you'll see when they give me Larrin. They will be buying themselves time nothing more because my men need their entertainment and the zones need us to survive. It's a symbiotic relationship." Julian told her.

"I thought she was special. Can't be the case if you want to share her with your mates." Rachel drawled.

"Oh I won't share Larrin. I made that mistake the first time round. This time I will have her all to myself and with ZIP, I can create my own narrative. If it doesn't sink in then I'll rinse and repeat until it does." Julian informed her.

"I thought you wanted to kill her." Rachel said to him, she didn't know why she was pushing him for information. But she was curious as to why he was so hung up on Larrin, what made her so special. But she felt if his focus was on her then it wasn't on Rachel.

"I like the chase, while yes there is some satisfaction in the kill. It's fleeting but with ZIP, I can turn back the clock and I guess in a metaphorical sense I'm killing her as the chase starts all over again." Julian said with a sick smile.

"The drug doesn't work like that." Dr Clarke informed him.

"The way I use it, it does. Though you are right, after a while they lose more than just their memories of me and what I've done to them. But what I love is that while you wipe the slate clean you can't change who they fundamentally are as a person. They still retain majority of their implicit memories and in some they partially retain of their semantic memory." Julian told them thoughtfully.

* * *

"Taylor's not going to go for this." Mike told Tom as he, Andrea, Cameron and Doc listened to Tom's plan on how to tackle the Scavenger situation. It was something they'd all developed over the past few hours but then Tom threw in the curve ball.

"It's not his decision to make." Tom said, it was Larrin's and he didn't like it but this was about the bigger picture and he wasn't going to leave her alone or in Julian's hands forever.

"Yes, but you're going to be handing Larrin over to her attacker." Andrea said hating the idea entirely as Tom was going to use Larrin to buy them time. She would be traded for Dr Scott and then St Louis would hand over their shipment of 'sport' but the people in that shipment would Nathan James crew. They were going to turn the game on the scavengers and capture them using Lt Commander Burk's operators to help track and take down as many scavengers as they could.

They take as many scavengers alive and interrogate them. Find out how the territories in the black zone operated as they knew Julian might be at the top but Tom highly doubted he controlled everyone. He felt there had to be smaller groups that made up the whole that not even Cameron knew about given they were all outsiders looking in.

They'd released the innocent people from the prison and gotten them into the hospital system as many of them were malnourished and in need of care. Those who were healthy were set up in hotel rooms until housing could be found for them. It wasn't enough to make up for what happened but it was a start. Mike had interrogated Holliday but the man didn't give them anything helpful, so they left him to sit in a prison cell along with Senator Pierce. They were going to have to clean up St Louis at some point but for now they needed to focus on the scavengers.

"We'll send an operator behind her. So she has back up." Tom said, he knew it was wrong. Larrin was a civilian but Michener made it clear that Rachel's recovery was paramount. The only way they could guarantee that was by doing the trade.

"We have no idea where they are taking her and a lot can happen in two days. She's traumatised enough." Andrea argued.

"I know but we can't sub her for a sailor and Michener's right; we need Dr Scott which is why we do the trade and not attack them. We need our numbers to stay intact." Tom argued.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Cameron asked.

"Sure." Tom said.

"You do attack at the trade. Assuming you're going to be meeting in a field. You could use a sniper to shoot Julian-"

"We can't kill him. It could throw the Scavengers into disarray." Mike argued. Cameron shook his head and continued on.

"No, give him a flesh wound. He won't be able to chase her down to his satisfaction if he's waylaid by an injury and we know he will keep Larrin safe as he wants her all to himself. We go in with a small group for the trade that way when the Scavengers retaliate we can use the snipers to lay down cover and give us time to retreat. It would mean very little collateral." He told them.

"We can implant a tracker in Larrin's broken arm under the cast and trackers into those who will be playing prey to the scavengers. It will make it easy for our operators to find your people and Larrin." Doc said

"Under her cast?" Tom asked for clarification.

"We- I'd have to surgically implant it under her skin in muscle tissue" Doc pointed to the middle of her forearm to indicate where the tracker would be. "It'd need to small, and you'd have to get her back here in under five days because it will get infected. " she told him.

"Why not above the skin?" Mike asked.

"If it's above, she's more likely to develop a rash that will spread up and out of the cast in a matter of hours and they will notice that. Casts are a real breeding ground for bacteria. There's also a chance it could fall out. If it's implanted in muscle tissue then it will less likely be detected. When it sets off any detectors she can say she has pins in her arm." Doc told him.

"I can't believe we are entertaining this." Andrea said exhausted as she could see the logic behind what they were doing but there were so many things that could go wrong.

"I can't see any other way of tackling this. We capture and gather intel and then liberate Larrin and take care of Julian. Right now we need to fine tune this." Tom said as he looked down at the map.

"We're also going to need volunteers." Mike said.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

* * *

"Larrin, you have to eat or use the bathroom at some point." Wolf said through the door as it was mid morning and he hadn't seen a sign of his sister except for when he'd ducked his head last night. She'd been asleep so he'd left her to rest and bunked down on the floor for the night given the lounge was too small for him. It hadn't been comfortable but he'd slept in worse places and there was no way he was going to use Garnett's bed.

"I'm not hungry." Larrin said through the door. Wolf looked to see Cruz and Miller pretending to be busy in the kitchen even though they were eavesdropping on conversation as this wasn't the first time he'd try to draw Larrin out of her room.

"That would be a first." Wolf said to her.

"Just go away." she huffed at him.

"What are we teenagers again? Open the door and talk to me." He told her.

"I'd rather not." Larrin replied, Wolf looked at the door and sized it up wondering if it had a lock and gaging how angry Garnett would be at him if he kicked it in. But before he decided to kick it in he'd try turning the handle.

"I'm coming in." Wolf told her.

"I'm naked." Larrin warned him.

"Yeah right, I'll take my chances." Wolf said, he turned the door handle and was grateful to it unlocked he opened the door to find Larrin still in bed. She luckily for his peace of mind was not undressed as he didn't need to see that. "Not naked." Wolf observed as Larrin was clothed in a yellow tshirt with 'Navy' written on it.

"You didn't bring any food." Larrin observed as he was indeed empty handed.

"You know where the kitchen is and you got legs, use them." He told her with a mocking smile as he moved to the bed and sat down on the edge and looked at her. "You looked wrecked." he told her as he took stock of her injuries; the bruises and the arm cast. He wanted to track down Julian and squeeze the life out of the man for thinking he could get away with this.

"I'm not talking about it." She said as she rolled over to put her back to him, basically shutting him out.

"I know enough. I know that this guy Julian is stalking you and he wants to take you to wherever and hunt you down like an animal. I take it the four guys you are accused of murdering are his friends. I know that Dad trained us to go on the offensive when attacked or being chased instead of running for the hills and hope for help."

"I met him in Colorado, he seemed normal until he was not. Things went bad and we parted ways for good or so I thought. Now he's back, so please just drop it." Larrin told him with a sigh.

"I can't given he's coming after you and now he knows where you are. He's not going to stop." Wolf told her.

"I know." Larrin told him.

"What is your plan?" Wolf asked her as he knew

"Well, my plan was to run but your Captain thinks it's best if I wait. So I'm waiting." Larrin huffed.

* * *

"I think we all need to get some sleep and come back to this in a couple hours." Mike said to Tom as they'd pulled an all nighter and right now he knew he could use the shut eye before everything hit the fan.

"Sir, we have someone hailing us on that frequency you gave me." Mason said from his station in the Command centre.

"They say who they are?" Tom asked him.

"It's sounds a lot like Dr Scott." Mason said with frown.

"Can you trace the radio signal?" Tom asked Val.

"We can try." Val told him. Tom motioned for Mason to put the sound through the loud speakers in the room as he walked over to his station and picked up the radio receiver.

"Dr Scott?" Tom asked, static crackled over the line.

" _Captain, I'm to tell you that you have less than 48 hours to trade Larrin Taylor for my life_." Rachel slurred over the radio. she sounded drunk or more likely heavily drugged. Mike and Tom exchanged looks of concern as it might be that she was suffering from a concussion or any other injury that could make her slur.

"Dr Scott, I'd like to speak to Julian Heldt." Tom told her.

" _He doesn't want to speak to you directly._ " Rachel's voice said over speakers. Those in the room had been told Rachel was alive but he had a feeling they hadn't believed him until this moment.

"Are you ok?" He asked her.

" _Laid up in hospital, drugs-_ " The line went quiet with static and Rachel's voice was replaced by a man's.

" _Captain Chandler, I wouldn't want you asking her any questions that might endanger her life and spoil the deal._ " the man spoke with a smooth confidence.

"Julian Heldt, I presume." Tom said.

" _Yes, I have to admit I'd prefer to use Dr Scott as a voice box as her voice was just made for radio_." He drawled in appreciation.

"You know I won't trade Larrin for Dr Scott." Tom told him

" _But you'll have to because this is how the new world operates and frankly you'll want to remove dear Rachel from me before I get any ideas."_

 _"If you-"_

 _"Yes, save your threats and listen. This is how things will proceed. On the morning, two days from now we'll meet at my favoured location."_ the man rattled off GPS coordinates before he continued. _"We will trade the women. You get your precious doctor and I; my little rabbit. Then you can go back to pretending you can save the world and I'll continue as I have. There's no negotiations, no stalling because if you're not on time I will kill Dr Scott and leave her body in pieces for the buzzards._ " he promised them, the line played static and Tom knew the man was finished so he didn't bother trying to argue with him.

Tom looked to Mason and Val. Both shook their head which meant they weren't able to trace the source. Tom pursed his lips and placed the radio receiver carefully onto the table even though he really wanted to throw it at the wall.

* * *

An hour later,

"I'm not letting you trade my sister to that bastard for Dr Scott." Wolf told them flat out as he and Larrin stood in Michener's plush office listening to Tom lay out his plan. He couldn't believe after everything they'd gone through together. The sacrifices and hard work he'd given to the Nathan James their plan was to toss Larrin over to Julian for Dr Scott.

"You don't really get a say in this." Michener told him, Tom placed a hand on Wolf's shoulder and shook his head as if to say 'It's not worth it'.

"Sir-" Tom started to say as he could feel the situation about to explode as he hadn't taken into account that Wolf would be taking this more personally. He understood why but he'd hope the man would see the logic behind the plan and know they weren't abandoning Larrin. They were just trying to make the most of the exchange. Larrin while was injured they felt between the two Larrin had a higher chance of survival in the exchange than leaving them as they were.

"No, let me make this clear to you all. We don't have many scientists left in this world especially one with Dr Scott's experience and knowledge. She created the cure that saved many people. Her recovery is paramount. So unless you can come up with a plan where both can be saved at the same time then let's hear it. For now we give him what he wants." Michener told them in a firm tone that said he wasn't going to change his mind.

"So you'd throw my sister into the wilds with monsters." Wolf said in disgust.

"Your sister isn't exactly some innocent simpering miss. While I appreciate she has intelligence; she has nothing on what Dr Scott has. We need Dr Scott. The Captain's plans have flaws but it seems to me to be the best move." Michener told Wolf, not even ruffled by the man.

"I doubt you'd feel the same if it you that we were tossing out there." Wolf argued.

"If I knew it would help. I'd volunteer." Michener told him, but his eyes betrayed him as he was scared of leaving the safety of St Louis and his protective detail.

"Which is why I'll do it." Larrin said speaking for this first time. The men all looked at her and saw how completely resigned she was. There were no tears, no false bravado, no begging.

"Larrin." Wolf started but she threw him a look that made him stop.

"It's my unfinished business that is putting a lot of people's lives at risk. The plan while slight harebrained seems like the best way to tackle the scavenger issue. You should radio Julian and move up the exchange by a day. It'll throw him and frankly I can injure him without bringing snipers into the mix. If you attack him, he'll retaliate. With me, he'll be amused." Larrin said to them, she didn't want to go back to Julian. She didn't want to do anything but curl up into a ball and wait for it all the pass but it wasn't going to. Michener had it right, she was dispensable while Rachel wasn't.

"I'm not allowing this." Wolf told Tom and Michener.

"You're not my father, I'm adult and the President's right. Dr Scott is more vital moving forward than I am." Larrin told Wolf, she looked to Tom. "Tell me where to go to get the tracker put in my arm. So we can get this over with." She said in a resigned manner.

* * *

"Now, we're looking for volunteers to act as sport." Mike finished, he'd called in majority of the crew that fit the archetypes that the scavengers liked including those who had field experience to help support the operators. He looked at the 40 men and women in the room. They all looked a mixture of shocked, angry and disgusted. He didn't blame them as he felt the same way as he explained the extent of how much their country had changed and the situation of civilians being tossed into the wilds and they had a plan to take the scavengers out. He hadn't gone into details as he was letting Lt Commander Burk go into that as he was up to speed so he could answer any questions. He watched as Cruz raised his hand.

"Yes?" Mike asked.

"I'm volunteering to be sport. Sir." Cruz clarified.

"Ok, anyone else want to raise their hands to be sport do so now." Mike said, he felt a sense of pride and respect as majority of them raised their hands. They didn't need them all only ten but if it worked this time round then they could replicate it in other parts of America. He looked to Lt Commander Burk and he stepped up.

"We're only taking ten this time round. Those ten will have a tracker implanted in their hip. They will be paired with two operators. What we know is that you'll be put into the back of a truck and taken to a location in the black zone. You'll be released and the scavengers will hunt you down. Now our plan is to turn the game on them. The operators will track and rendezvous with you in the field. You'll track and capture your hunter preferably alive so he can be transported back to the prison. We need intel on how many scavengers are out there and where they rest when they aren't terrorizing innocent people. Yes?" Cameron asked as he saw Miller raise his hand.

"Sir, what about the trade?" Miller asked, he wanted to know what was going to happen with Larrin. He knew this wasn't the time to ask but he felt given the Commander told them Dr Scott was actually alive and they were trading for her freedom with Wolf's sister. He felt it was safe to ask. Majority of the crew respected Wolf and Miller couldn't believe they were letting her be exchanged. It didn't feel right to him.

"The trade is going to go as planned. Miss Taylor will go with Julian Heldt the leader. We need to do our part as efficiently as we can. We can't have one scavenger escape knowing what we're doing." Cameron told him.

"Yes, but what's happening to get her out?" Miller asked, he watched as Mike and Cameron exchanged looks for a moment before Mike spoke up.

"Tex and one of the operators will be assigned to follow Larrin and retrieve. We're going on for a 48 hour run on this mission. The intel we can collect will help us retrieve her as we believe she'll be taken to wherever their hideout is which is why it's important we capture them alive." Mike told him.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

* * *

"So when the local wears off this is going hurt a lot, it's also going to get infected because people naturally sweat and the wound can't breathe in the cast. So this will only cause more pain in your arm as it will swell, you can also look forward to fever, aches and shakes. Then it will get worse with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and if that wasn't enough fun. It'll eventually give off a foul odour. Now the good news is that we can track you and monitor your vitals." Doc told Larrin as she put the final stitches in Larrin's arm.

"Great. So I could go septic if it stays in there long enough and die." Larrin said, she had to admit she liked Doc. The woman was straightforward and pragmatic it helped Larrin keep her emotions in check as she felt like she was two seconds away from crying all the time.

Wolf stood in the corner looking pissed off. He had been quiet ever since they left Michener's office. She didn't blame him as she knew it was hard for him to let her go, hell it was hard for her to move as every action she did moved her closer to being back in Julian's hold. A place she didn't want to be.

"Yep, but that would take a few days and they will pull you out before that happens." Doc told her, she looked at Larrin's expression and gave a sigh as she had seen that look on so many people before. "Look, it's a good thing as they won't think to look there for a scanner. If they use a metal detector. Just tell them you have two plates and screws in your arm to hold the bones. So let's get the plaster on it." Doc told her with a smile.

"Ok." Larrin said, she looked down at her arm at the small stitches as they'd put in a GPS tracker meant for birds. It was odd feeling something under her skin. Her brain baulked at it wanting to tear it out of her arm but it was the only thing that would save her. Without it they wouldn't be able to find her.

"I think you should also take some pain meds for the next couple days. Just so you're able to get some proper rest and to help your other injuries mend." Doc told her.

"I'd like that." Larrin said as she could use the escape of drugs just for the next 48 hours so she was sharper when she saw Julian. Her stomach rolled at the thought as her heart pounded in a panicked tempo. Doc must of saw her thoughts and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, they'll get you out. I know Lt Commander Burk and the operators. They've been doing these kind of ops for months. They will rescue you. You just gotta persevere." Doc told her, Larrin nodded as it was the only advice she'd been given so far that helped.

* * *

"I like my operator. She sounds really butch. I'm imagining her to look like a 6ft sexy muscular amazon of a woman." Cruz said to Danny as he, Burk and Miller were visiting with the man to get him up to speed on what was happening and to just blow off some of the tension of the upcoming mission.

"How can you tell if she's sexy?" Burk asked incredulously as he was in the room. While he wasn't able to participate in the mission he was going to act as support in the Command centre in helping coordinate teams tasked to pick up captured scavengers and also assist Operators in locating their partner.

"She has a sexy timbre." Cruz added as he opened the bakery box that was set to the side of the room and snagged one of the three cinnamon rolls from inside and chomped into it.

"Maybe you should marry her, you sound half in love with her already." Danny told Cruz, he wished he was helping in some way but he knew if the Captain needed him then he'd call him in or visit. So he tried not to let it get to him that he hadn't gotten the call yet.

"Nah,-" Cruz started as if dismissing the idea but stopped and gave it more thought. "Maybe I'll wait and see. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have a girlfriend who can spot me when I'm bench pressing weights in the gym." he said thoughtfully. The others in the room chuckled at him.

"There's looking for the positive." Burk said from his chair. He winced as his bruised torso pain him but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He was just grateful he wasn't in Wolf's shoes. The man had been completely shut out of the mission. Sure he could know some of the specifics and could watch in the Command Centre but he wasn't allowed an active role.

"She could be the Peeta to my Katniss." Cruz joked before he took another bite of the cinnamon roll enjoying the pastry.

"I think you're missing the hair to be Katniss." Danny told Cruz, as he knew better than to clarify that Katniss was the female character as he'd made that mistake before. It only led to him being told how Cruz believed himself to be an emotional rock while Peeta was completely unbalanced. In Cruz's opinion. In everyone else's opinion, they wished they had never watched Hunger Games as it had just rolled out to be a thing on the ship.

"No, he's Katniss going through a Latino Demi Moore G.I. Jane phase." Miller offered, Burk smiled and shook his head while Cruz smiled and nodded in agreement of the assessment.

"Yeah, that's right." Cruz said, he pointed to Green "So don't rain on my parade dude. If I want to be Katniss, I'll be Katniss." Cruz told Danny in a mockingly serious manner.

"This isn't the Hunger Games. You guys didn't volunteer as tribute." Danny said shaking his head at them in amusement.

"You are right. It's more like Pokemon." Burk offered, which was much worse than referencing Hunger Games as the many of the crew had kids who were mad for the show. So when it hit it's peak in popularity suddenly the crew were asking themselves 'What kind of Pokemon am I?'.

"Oh yeah which makes me; Ash and her; Misty on an adventure capturing Scavenger Pokemon." Cruz said with a smile, Larrin shook her head smiling as she liked they were making light of what was happening. It made it seem like they were going to have a fun adventure.

"Just a shame you can't catch those baddies into tiny little balls like they do on the show." Kara said as she came into the room.

"Hey," Danny said to her.

"Hey, how are you?" She asked him as she moved over to where Cruz was naturally gravitating to the food. Danny would've been offended given he wanted a kiss 'hello' but knew they were so ingrained in keeping their PDA to minimum that he'd have to go without until the guys left. At least he could look at her without getting into too much trouble and she was definitely a sight in her maternity BDU's and her hair slicked back into it's usual hair style. He couldn't help but feel a zing of excitement whenever he thought of their future together and the children they'd have.

"Good, the guys were telling me what's going on with their mission." Danny said to her, making a mental note to mention to the guys after the mission to help him out. He hoped that their pay was sorted as he knew they'd help out if he paid for pizza and beer.

"I heard Pokemon references." Kara said as she looked at the three cinnamon rolls in the box wondering if she should indulge or not. But then caved in as it had been a long time since she had a cinnamon roll and she could always blame the baby if someone felt the need to shame her for poor food choices.

"How is it you know about Pokemon?" Burk asked Kara, she turned around with the biggest of the cinnamon rolls in her hand trying not to look guilty for not offering.

"I know people with kids, what's your excuse?" Kara asked before she took a bite of the cinnamon roll. It might be cold but it tasted freaking amazing.

"I'm a guy, I'm allowed to like anything I want without it detracting from my looks." Burk informed in a matter of fact. Kara rolled her eyes at his statement.

"How's Wolf?" Danny asked Kara as he'd asked the guys but they hadn't had a real answers only speculation.

"Pissed, I heard he shouted at the Captain and the President." Kara told him.

"Can you blame him?" Miller asked, he knew he was pissed at the part of the plan that meant Larrin would be handed over Julian. He knew she had a choice but he also felt she was guilted into it. She had been resigned to them handing her over because she felt that she 'deserved' it.

"Hey I wouldn't mind my brother being traded but this guy's not into tall black men." Burk said with a shrug.

"What's up with you and your brother?" Cruz asked Burk as the man usually had nothing but good things to say about everyone as he tried to keep a positive attitude. Sure his view on America has soured after they'd lost, right now Burk felt vindicated on that front but Cruz would be glad to find his family alive.

"Nothing, he's just the 'perfect' one in the Burk family." Burk said with a shrug.

"Awwwh, we think you're pretty special." Cruz told him in a mocking manner, Burk threw him a dark look.

"Eat your cinnamon roll, dude." Burk told him.

* * *

"I'm sorry about this." Larrin told Tex as the man was tapping her arm cast with camouflage tape. Everything they'd been doing for the past few hours have been about prepping her for the exchange. They'd gotten her woodland digis, boots and made sure she ate at regular intervals so she wasn't hungry and kept her hydrated. All in the hopes of her being completely bolstered and ready to go. Larrin would have felt like cow being fattened for the kill but the pain meds Doc had given her kept her in a fairly pleasant buzz. So the lack of pain helped her emotional state somewhat.

"I don't think you did all this on purpose." He said to her with a wry smile.

"Wolf's fairly pissed off and everyone else is looking at me like I'm a sacrificial lamb." Larrin said, she tried to keep her arm steady but it was hard to do given she was getting tired from her injuries and all the shuffling around.

"That's because you are." He told her with a humourless smile. "You don't have to do this." he added, he felt the need for her to feel what she was doing was optional. She could back out.

"I do, Dr Scott is important and Dad always told us that we take care of our own messes. This is my mess." Larrin told him, Tex gave her an odd smile as he was only slightly privvy to the kind of upbringing Wolf and Larrin had. He did know that when he told Kat to clean up her messes. He was talking more about toys, spilt food etc. Not this situation.

"You didn't release the Scavengers on America. That's on the immunes and it's on the Americans who kept it going instead of standing up for themselves." Tex told her.

"I know, but I should have killed Julian. It's just that it was in close quarters, the blood freaked me out. The others were traps, I didn't have to get close." Larrin confessed to Tex, she didn't know why but it was easier to talk to him than the others as she felt he understood human nature a little more than the others. Maybe because she knew how much he cared abut Kat and how he hadn't cared about her actions to survive. Only about how she was, it just spoke to Larrin on a level that gave her comfort.

Tex pulled on the tape pulling off another strip, he pondered on what he should say to her but decided right now she needed to just get whatever was in her system out. He was just glad Wolf and the others weren't home as they were too inexperienced to react in the way Larrin needed. He knew Wolf would flip his lid and Kara would become still. While he had years under his belt, years of seeing the worst side of humanity and he knew the darker sides of himself that he was comfortable with the conversation without bringing his own baggage into it.

"I just never understood. My Dad made us hunt rabbits when we were kids but Wolf and my brothers always killed mine for me. They'd even skin them and gut them, it wasn't until after they all left I had to do it. It was so awful." Larrin said staring off into the distance.

"But you gotta eat." Tex said as smoothed the tape over part of her cast. Larrin gave a closed lip smile and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, you do. Julian called me his little rabbit cause he said I ran as fast as one. He'd whistle this old song 'Run Rabbit, Run' by Flanagan and Allen. In some parts of the forest it would just echo so I would have no clue where he was. Just that he was out there." Larrin said, Tex knew the song, it had played on the TV a few years ago for travelling to Melbourne, Australia when he was doing a training exercise in Sydney. It was a tune that stuck in the head and it became a bit of joke among the men.

"So I should expect to hear it." Tex said as placed another piece of tape on her cast.

"Yeah, he really thinks he's untouchable and he is. He's got us doing exactly what he wants." Larrin told him with a nod.

"But it won't end the way he wants it to. That I promise you." Tex told her.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

* * *

"Thanks for letting Larrin stay here. I think she might feel uncomfortable at the house given we're packed to the rafters." Tex said to Andrea as she'd just come home from the command centre. He'd made Larrin something and she'd taken some meds passing out in the guest bedroom.

"No problem, though Taylor's not going to be happy." Andrea told him, she already heard about how the man felt but then the old courthouse had thin walls and well, she couldn't help herself. It was rare for someone to be game enough to shout at Tom. Michener was an easy target given Wolf wasn't a citizen of the country so he didn't have the same sense of fealty that the rest of them felt in regards to the title of President and respecting the person who held it.

"He'll understand." Tex said, which he knew was a lie as even he was finding it hard to wrap his head around but he at least felt he was able to help. He was pissed about Rachel being captured and even more so that they had to trade Larrin for her. In his mind he felt they should find a way that didn't involve Larrin as the poor girl had been through enough and didn't need to carry any more burdens as it was.

"I'm not sure I do. Larrin should be kept out of this entirely." Andrea told him as she kicked off her boots and moved to the fridge. She held up a bottle of beer in offer and Tex accepted. He still had a day before he'd be on mission and right now he could use the wind down.

"I agree but the Commodore has a plan." Tex told her.

"He has a soft spot for Dr Scott. I don't think that he's thinking very clearly past recovering her." Andrea commented.

"The mission to capture the other scavengers is sound." Tex offered he didn't know why he was even bothering in defending Tom. He was pissed at the man for lying even angrier that he'd just entrusted Rachel's life in the hands of two people they didn't know. But he wasn't going to dwell as he knew his place in it all. Rachel no matter how much of an asshole Tom was still loved him and Tom refused to admit he cared even though he did. It only made Tex want to back away from it as it just read his heart being broken. Though even he harboured hope when she'd woken up that maybe through friendship they could develop something but it wasn't going happen and Tex would rather he leave his uncomplicated for the sake of Kat's sanity as well as his.

"Agreed but we're putting a lot on the line." Andrea argued as they moved to the lounge room and sat down on the two seater lounge.

"Hmm, speaking of putting a lot on the line. Green wants to propose to Kara in their house. Preferably with at least the lounge room finished." Tex said to her.

"No kidding, I heard that place is a haunted house of 60s nostalgia." Andrea said with a chuckle, she hadn't seen the place but she heard the rumours of creepy lizards and horrible carpeting not too mention the Miller-Larrin incident of putting holes in the walls. That one made her real tempted to drop what she was doing just to see the damage and Miller turn bright red from embarrassment as he tried to explain the events. Because she was definitely ready to ask him.

"Yeah, Kat, Larrin and I have been chipping away at the place but I was wondering if you could think of a few warm bodies who'd be happy to pitch in a hand so Green can propose before the baby is born." Tex said with a smile. Andrea took a long pull of her beer and gave him a skeptical look as it was a lot to ask given the current situation.

"Green even going to get off his ass to help?" She asked in a wry manner. She could understand Kara not helping rip the place apart; she was growing a baby and frankly deserved a holiday.

"He's injured and he'll supply beer and food." Tex told her.

"Ok, I'll drop by tomorrow and see what a mess it is and then put out the word for people to help out. But no promises on anything being done before the baby is born until I see the damage." Andrea told him.

"There's Key Lime Pie in the works for you and an open dinner invitation at my place." Tex offered her with a smile. Andrea looked at him for a moment wondering if he was flirting with her but dismissed it as he was always a good friend to her. But the offer was definitely one she wouldn't taking up as living on her own eating canned meals would get old.

"Don't lie to me about pie." Andrea said growing serious as she loved pie and Key Lime was her favourite.

"I would never." Tex promised her, he pressed a hand to his chest

"Real limes?" She asked him for curiosity sake.

"Nah could only get dessert syrup."Tex told her, Andrea pursed her lips as she contemplated the idea of Lime milkshakes as it had been years since she had one.

"Lt Green will have to find me more bottles of Lime Syrup if he wants miracles to happen." Andrea bargained with Tex.

* * *

"This is insane." Alisha told Kara as they were at Alisha's place eating Chinese take away on her lounge. Alisha had asked if she wanted to catch dinner together.

Kara had a feeling her friend needed to vent and frankly Kara wasn't ready to head back to Tex's and sit through an awkward dinner with everyone else. She knew it was bad but she kind of needed to decompress from the past 24 hours of madness.

"I know." Kara said as they'd been talking about the current state of the US and the Captain's plan to trade Larrin for Dr Scott. Pretty much everyone knew Wolf was mad and had shouted not only at the Captain but Michener as well. So they were all giving their support but trying not to take sides given they all had to follow orders at the end of the day.

"I feel like we should be drawing a line in the sand. Not capitulating." Alisha said as she ate some of her chow mien with a fork.

"I don't think there's any right way to go about this." Kara said as she split a baked BBQ Pork bun in half. Her mouth watering in delight as the aromas just hit every button in her brain. Baby seemed to like it too as Kara was pretty sure she could eat a dozen of them and not regret it unlike the time she tried to eat Bacon's Chicken Roux. Baby did not like cream dishes which was a shame as Kara loved hot creamy dishes but now the thought of it made her nauseous so she focused on the delicious Pork Bun instead.

"Probably." Alisha said with a sigh as she sunk down on the lounge and focused on her food.

"You find out if Sarah was still alive?" Kara asked, there was no way to approach the subject gently. Alisha shook her head.

"Barely had a chance before everything went to hell. Big Brother Burk thinks there is no point given she's just as culpable as any people who reside in the blue zones." Alisha said.

"That's harsh." Kara said but then she felt Lt Commander Burk was a little in love with himself as he was all for talking about what he did. He didn't exactly spread the love around to the people who worked with him. He acted like he owned them or something which Kara felt was wrong but then it was probably his command style. Luckily she'd never have to serve under his command to find out as she knew she'd been spoiled with Commanders Garnett, Chandler and Slattery.

"You should have seen those people in the green zone. Some of them were totally messed up-" Alisha stopped and looked at Kara "You want to be alone with that bun?" She asked her in amused tone as Kara was enjoying the food a little too much.

"It's really good." Kara told her, she tried to be quiet with her enjoyment but obviously not enough.

"Must be a perk of being pregnant as I think the buns are a little boring. But the custard puffs are otherworldly." Alisha said with a smile as she was happy to change the topic. She honestly didn't want to think about the green zone or scavengers.

"I'm looking forward to it. But getting back to it, are you going to try and find her?" Kara asked.

"No," Alisha said shaking her head. She preferred the fantasy of Sarah right now than what the possible present person would be. She knew it was bad but she couldn't handle being a relationship with someone who knowingly lived in a blue zone knowing their survival was on the backs of people they sacrificed to monsters. It just brought up the same feelings of betrayal and disgust she felt for her mother. "I think I'm going to let it go." Alisha added.

"Well, if you're looking for a rebound. Val's available." Kara told her with a smile trying to lighten things up.

"Just because she's a lesbian and I'm a lesbian doesn't mean we should just hook up." Alisha told her giving her an incredulous look and shook her head in amusement as she knew Kara was just messing with her but still she needed to make herself clear. Plus Val was just a confusing area of Alisha's life.

"Ok, well I'm outta of beautiful women for you." Kara told her casually as she snagged another pork bun. Alisha couldn't help but laugh at her.

* * *

"Where's Larrin?" Wolf asked he got in later than he expected. Dinner was being served, he had spent the majority of his afternoon with Doc and Lt Commander Burk learning all the ins and outs of what would happen to Larrin in regards to the mission. He spoke with the other contractor who'd be paired with Tex. He wanted to just get a feel for the guy.

They spoke over the radio but Wolf like how the man spoke and answered his questions. His personnel file read well as he was a man in his late 40's who was career military, Army Ranger turned trainer when he felt age was starting to slow him down before the Red Flu broke out. He was naturally immune and had spent majority his time during the Pandemic helping people before the Scavengers emerged and well he put his skills to better use.

It put Wolf at ease but frankly he was just ill equipped to handle this situation and was messing it up. He needed to talk with Larrin to try and repair things with her. He needed to get her ready, he needed to bolster her out of her resignation and remind her that she mattered to him and many others. This trade wasn't about who was worth more but about using it to their advantage to take down a good chunk of the scavengers. He knew it was a hard sell given he still didn't drink the Kool aid but he needed Larrin to believe it.

"At Garnett's." Tex told him.

"Why?" Wolf asked him.

"I felt it was too hard on her to sit with all like one big family when she's a day and half from walking away. She agreed and Garnett didn't mind the company." Tex told him, Tex was taking the blame but he could tell that if Larrin sat with them all right now she'd break down. That wouldn't be good.

"I hate this." Wolf told him as he knew Tex was right. They were like a large family and it was in some ways easier for Wolf, Tex and Miller to go on mission as they left their families behind. While yes it was hard, they had training and the confidence to believe they were coming home. Larrin had the physical training but she was not mentally geared like them.

"Don't worry, the feeling is mutual for everyone involved." Tex said smacking him on the back in a brotherly fashion as he pushed him to sit at the table.

"The Captain, I get. He wouldn't propose it if there no other way but Michener just lept on it like it was the best thing he'd heard of since sliced bread." Wolf said as he took his chair. Kat and Barbara were dishing out the dinner while Miller was placing the filled plates onto the table.

"I know, so how are you with your injuries?" Tex asked him.

"I'm not ready for field duty." He remarked drily, he wished he was but one nudge in the rib cage and he went down like a sack of potatoes.

"I know, how about exercising those demons?" Tex suggested.

"What do you want?" Wolf asked him already suspicious as Tex had a way of wrangling people into things they didn't really want to do.

"Danny wants to propose to Kara in the house. I figure if it were my sister or even Kat and I was in your shoes. I couldn't stand in the command room. Now you could punch things or you can-"

"Pretty up a house?" Wolf finished for Tex.

"When this is over, we could all use some joy. Wouldn't be nice to give Kara and Danny a home for their wedding present?" Tex asked him.

"I think it would be a lovely present for a young couple with a baby." Barbara said joining the topic as she and Kate sat down with Miller at the table.

"Exactly, 200 odd sailors can spare a couple hours over the next couple weeks we should be do something impressive but those monkeys need someone to direct traffic and Kat has to go to school next week. Barb is on food detail and sussing out colour schemes for the house as well as baby furniture. So what do you say?" Tex asked Wolf who had to admit he was a little impressed with Tex finding people to help.

"I'm not a monkey." Miller piped up before Wolf could answer.

"Of course not, I was talking about the other monkeys." Tex told him, Miller who was pretending to looked pissed at the name calling gave a shrug as if accepting Tex's answer as ok.

"Fine, I can direct traffic." Wolf said, he wasn't happy about the job but he didn't mind the cause behind it as Danny was like a brother to him and putting in some reno hours in his house was a lot better then trying to find a wedding present. He also appreciated Tex being upfront as he was right. Wolf would tear himself to pieces standing in the ops room witnessing it go down. The idea of removing himself did make it easier even if it made him feel like he was abandoning them all.

"Great, I spoke with Garnett and she'll drop by tomorrow to tell you what's what and will make a roster of people to pull in to help our also means while I'm gone, you'll be the man of house. So I'd like to come home to our womenfolk un-debauched and lovely as they are right now." Tex told him.

"Yeah, of course I can do that." Wolf said as he felt remiss in how it was going to affect those at home. Kat and Barbara would be worried about Tex and Miller. Kara was going to be in the Command Centre helping coordinate their mission with Lt Commander Burk and the others. Danny was still laid up in the hospital and Wolf realised he was in the position to help on the home front.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

* * *

"Thanks for letting me stay." Larrin said to Andrea over breakfast which consisted of muesli, yogurt, fresh berries and chocolate chips. Lots of chocolate chips.

Larrin had to like how Andrea claimed it was 'healthy' because the chocolate chips were dark chocolate that was full of antioxidants and other good stuff for the body and brain hence one needed such a large dose of it. Larrin didn't mind at all as it was a pretty delicious breakfast. Andrea gave her a smile from across the table and washed down her food with a sip of coffee.

"Anytime, I got a guest bedroom for a reason." Andrea told her with a shrug.

"So do you know what's on the agenda?" Larrin asked her.

"We're going over to Kara's house to check out the damage you and Miller did and what we can do to improve it." Andrea told her, she enjoyed the blush that graced Larrin's cheeks.

"It was an accident." Larrin said trying not to smile as it might be funny but she and Miller did some serious damage. "But you should see Wolf's room, though he's probably fixed it by now." Larrin added with a frown as she really wanted to be there when he saw his room.

"What did you do?" Andrea asked.

"Filled it with creepy little lizard statues and put his bed spread into a cobalt blue fluffy cover. It has a matching pouf that has a dog face on it. I made it that he just opens the door and they are all looking at him. Kind of like how a pet waits for their owner to come home." Larrin told her, Andrea could help but chuckle at the imagery in her mind.

"Miller helped you?" Andrea asked.

"Well, we originally ripped the lizards and placed them around the house. I just slowly moved them into Wolf's room. But yeah, a few of the lizards were harder to pull off than others and well accidents happen." Larrin offered.

"That they do. Either way, we'll check out the house. You can do whatever you want but I recommend taking it easy. Commander Chandler will want to brief you before you and he leave for the trade tomorrow morning." Andrea told her in a casual manner.

"Right ok." Larrin said with a nod as she didn't know what to do with her last 12 hours of freedom.

* * *

"This is a mess." Wolf said to Kat as he scratched his chin. He really needed a shave as the stubble was driving him batty but he knew his annoyance wasn't really about the beard coming in but about how time was creeping away on Larrin leaving with Tex. Also Miller and the others, Barbara wasn't taking it well knowing Miller was going on mission so she dragged him into the backyard where they'd piled all the salvageable furniture dragged from the house and the attic. They were having Mother-son time as far as Barbara was concerned and Miller was for it.

"We did the best we could." Kat told him a little annoyed at how he just kept nit picking on the negative. She was just as upset and worried about Larrin and her dad going but she was keeping positive.

"Oh nah, not your work. You and Larrin are machines. I meant the house. Where do we even start?" Wolf asked her, Kat perked up at the compliment as she and Larrin had worked hard and it did show. At least upstairs it did as the walls and floors had been stripped of their carpet and wallpaper. So all they needed was some sanding, fresh paint on the walls and a varnish on the floor to seal them.

The bottom floor was fairly untouched. The carpet had been pulled out a long with whatever furniture leaving ugly light fittings and wallpaper that had seen better times.

"Well, Dad said Danny's got a bum leg so maybe focus on the bottom floor for now but Ms Miller said we need to make the baby's room on the list too. She said that it will help Kara to feel more at home knowing the baby has a room and a bed." Kat told him.

"Ok, well we'll get majority whoever's volunteering to work on the bottom floor and task two upstairs. Does the baby have a room?" Wolf asked Kat as she seemed to know what was going on.

"Yeah, Ms Miller said that the baby gets the room with the across from the bathroom on the top floor. It apparently the best size room for a baby." Kat told him.

"Why isn't Ms Miller running the show?" Wolf asked her as Miller's Mum seemed to know everything that needed to be done and in what order.

"Because she likes to sit back and watch the show." Kat told him, Wolf frowned as he didn't like the sound of that as Kat said it in a matter of fact manner but Wolf wondered if Miller's Mum thought he was running a Chippendale show as she was going to be sorely disappointed as the Nathan James crew were fit but majority weren't ripped with defined muscles.

"Ok, you want to take over the baby room business and I'll see what Garnett says about downstairs. Sound good?" Wolf asked her.

"Ok." Kat told him.

* * *

"We have to get out of here." Dr Clarke told her. Rachel looked at Dr Clarke wondering in the woman was insane. There was no way she could run in her state. Rachel could barely lift her arms but it didn't stop Dr Clarke from undoing her restraints on Rachel's wrists and ankles. They heard foot steps coming their way and Dr Clarke pulled a blanket over Rachel making sure to cover her up.

"What are you doing?" Julian asked as he appeared in the room. Rachel wished she were anywhere else than where she was. She was cold sweating. Her body felt like it had been put through a grinder and she felt a deep seated sense of desolation as their situation was inescapable. She was once again at the mercy of men and their decisions. It rankled and deeply upset her that she couldn't help herself.

"She's coming down from your drugs. She's cold and in pain." Dr Clarke told Julian. She shrank away from Julian as the man reached out and touched her dark brown hair.

"How thoughtful, I felt I should tell you that your commander doesn't seem to care all that much for you." Julian told Rachel but he kept his eyes on Dr Clarke sizing her up. "He doesn't want you Rachel," Julian told her as he moved to Rachel's bedside. He looked at her like she were a pitiful being which only made her feel worse.

"I told you he wouldn't trade me." Rachel said feeling a sense of pride that Tom wouldn't give Larrin up for her. It would go against who he was as Larrin was an innocent.

"Oh no, he doesn't want you but he's still giving me Larrin." Julian told her, he snapped his fingers and two armed men came into the room and grabbed Dr Clarke. The woman struggled but was easily overpowered as the men dragged her out of the room. "You are useless to him, but Dr Clarke. Not so. But don't worry, I'll look after you." Julian told her.

"Piss off." Rachel told him in a hateful tone. She couldn't fight the tears that escaped her eyes as his words sliced deeply within her. She knew it was the withdraw making her an easy target emotionally but she just wanted him to leave her alone and die somewhere outside of her presence so she never had to see him again.

"That's very rude." Julian told her in a serious tone as he parted her hair down the middle and brushed the two halves down the front of her with his fingers. Nausea rolled up inside at him touching her hair. "For that I'm going to take away your vanity." He told her, he pulled out switchblade and flicked out the blade.

Fear snaked through her chest as she was afraid of what he'd do with the knife. He smiled as he saw her fear and moved close to her; she tried to shrink away from him but it was useless. He pulled onto one half of her hair and sliced through her hair. Rachel gasped in horror as he did the same to the other side of her hair and held her long tresses in his hand. Tears fell from her eyes not because she was upset about the hair but relief that hair was all he took from her. She could grow it back. Scars were a different story.

"Much better, now you just lay there and get better." He told her, he looked proud of work as he assumed her tears were from shame and fear. He just smiled and walked out of the room with her hair in his hand.

Julian walked down the hallway to where Dr Clarke sat slumped unconscious in a chair she was straddling. Her hands cuffed to the rung in the back of the chair. He held out the hair to Farhad.

"We keep the bag on her head, they'll just see height, body shape and hair colour to identify her." Julian told him. They had cut Dr Clarke's hair short ready to glue Rachel's long tresses to the bottom of her's. Julian knew a hessian bag over the woman's head would be enough to fool anyone.

"This isn't going to work." Farhad told him as he was sceptical of the plan.

"It will, they are emotionally involved. The Captain's focus will be on her hair and the way she staggers. We'll be gone before he pulls the bag off her head." Julian said as he liked his plan. He'd get Larrin and then be able to manipulate Dr Scott to work for him. He wouldn't mind experimenting in new scare tactics. He definitely needed something to stop this 'cure' as it would only give people hope and he wanted to crush that.

"They could try the same ploy." Farhad told him, Julian shook his head as the Captain and military were good for their word.

"They won't. They think they are getting Dr Scott. Speaking of you'll need to keep her doses consistent, we don't want the good doctor to crying mess all the time. It'll only be you and Greg as I'm taking the rest of the men to the meet. So if I come back and see you've been touching my things I'll be very angry." Julian told him.

"We know what's yours and what's ours." Farhad said, Julian wasn't worried but felt the need to make sure his wishes clear.

"Good. Let's go, we have a long drive ahead of us and I need her to look the part. So you should get to work." Julian told the man.

* * *

"Well, this is something isn't it." Andrea said as she and Larrin walked into the front hallway of Kara and Danny's place.

"Yeah, it was scarier with the lizards like that one." Larrin said pointing out one of the few that survived the night because it just wouldn't budge from the wall.

"Dear God." Andrea swore as she spotted the small lizard on the wall. She hadn't noticed as she'd been looking at the missing patches of brown wallpaper and the gaping hole in the wall. She walked over to the statue and bent over and poked the statue just to make sure it was fake which it was. "That is creepy, and that's an impressive man hole." Andrea said as she moved back to the hole in the wall. She pulled a small torch from her pocket and clicked it on to inspect the interior of the wall.

"The electricity might be on." Larrin cautioned her as she didn't want Andrea to hurt herself by accidentally touching an exposed wire though in Andrea's defence. Larrin had no idea what a dangerous wire looked.

"Well, it's not a support wall which is lucky. There's no sign of structural damage. You guys really did this pulling lizards off a wall?" Andrea asked, she frowned as she never thought she'd ever utter a sentence in her lifetime. Though it did make her want to smile as she just thought 'kids' in that parental.

"Yep." Larrin said not sure if she be apologetic or not given right now she was starting to find it more funny than a terrible mistake. They heard movement from up above and a few seconds later Wolf and Kat came down the stairs.

"Hey, we heard voices." Wolf said as he came to them. He looked at Larrin in a way that made her happy she stayed at Andrea's as he looked ready to hug her. She really didn't want to be hugged or touched really as she was afraid she'd fall to pieces.

"Just checking out the damage." Andrea told him keeping the conversation light and easy.

"Yeah, it's a doozy." Wolf said as he looked at the hole in the wall. "So Kara was wondering if we can remove all the walls to make an open plan living thing like next door." Wolf added, Andrea gave a look that said 'tell 'em they're dreaming.' before she looked at the space.

"You mean take out the hallway?" She asked him for clarification.

"Yeah." Wolf said.

"Ok, let's see." Andrea said with a sigh, she turned her torch around in her hand and started tapping the walls with the handle; listening to what was hollow and what wasn't. "You'll need O'Connor as he's an electrician by trade. He'll know how to safely move the electrical wiring. He's not on mission and should be happy to help is food is offered." Andrea told Wolf.

"Ok." Wolf said taking not.

"But getting people in to help might be a bit hard in the current climate." Andrea said referring to the mission of capturing the scavengers and that many of the crew who weren't in on that were either on much needed R&R or repairing the ship. "How permanent is their move?" Andrea asked Wolf.

"Got no clue but I'd say fairly permanent given the ship is in Dry dock for a long while and Kara's on maternity." Wolf offered.

"True." Andrea said, she wondered just how much effort they should be putting into the place if the couple were just going to move on like majority of Military families did. "Ok, you three go do something else while I wander around and see what compromises we can make that will make this job quick given we're on a ticking clock of getting it done before Kara has the baby." Andrea added shooing them away.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

* * *

"Larrin, a word." Wolf said as he caught up with his sister on the steps of Tex's place. Kat had asked to stay behind with Andrea to see what she felt needed to be done and Larrin had a feeling that Kat really liked learning work that used physical activity than sit down type jobs as Kat was seemingly always on the move.

"Sure, what?" Larrin asked him as she stopped at the front door and turned to him.

"About tomorrow." Wolf started but stopped as Larrin looked uncomfortable.

"You're not going to get weird are you? I don't want to talk about it." She told thim.

"I don't know why?" Wolf argued.

"Because I see the way you look at me." Larrin told him.

"How do I look at you?" Wolf asked.

"Like you're disappointed, angry and I don't know pitying me. I didn't do this on purpose and he seemed like a normal guy in a unreal situation. Haven't you ever trusted the wrong person and have it blow up in your face?"

"Yes, I have. What I'm feeling isn't about you or change how I think of you. You're my little sister and yeah I'm worried about you. In fact I'm petrified because all of this is out of my hands."

"Do you think I want to go tomorrow?" Larrin asked blinking back tears, "Because I don't, I want to forget it all. I want to be here with you and everyone else. I want date Eric and finish my PhD. I want to fix that home and be there when Lt Green proposes to Kara but it's not going happen." Larrin told him in a hushed and hurt tone as part of her felt it was unfair she didn't get to have that but another part accepted that she had to go as it was punishment for her choices and actions in trying to survive.

"You can back out." Wolf told her.

"No, I can't. He didn't forget me and I can't have it on my conscience that he'll continued to pick girls to replace me. I can't have Dr Scott's death on me. Michener's right. I deserve this." Larrin told him.

"He didn't say that-" Wolf started to argue.

"Not in so many words, but him and Milowsky, the people who run this world to them I'm nothing but chattel. So what's the use in fighting it. At least I can make a tiny bit of difference." Larrin argued with him, she was trying to make this easier on both of them.

"You act like you're never coming back." Wolf said as he felt the finality in her words. It made him feel like she was going to disappear for good.

"You don't know Julian and even if I survive do you know how messed up I'll be? The only reason I'm so chill was that I'm pretending to be the person I want to be. I hide all the mess because no one wants to know or see it. I lived out there for months on my own before I heard the radio call about the cure. You know what I finally got why Dad walked off into the scrub and never came back. He just saw way too much and knew-

"Dad had his own issues and that's not on you or me. It's on him, instead of asking for help and seeing the support he had; he disappeared which makes him a crappy dad." Wolf told her.

"Or maybe he was just sparing us." Larrin argued.

"Larrin, I don't want you to disappear. I don't care what state of mind you come back with. I'm not abandoning you, I'll help you deal with whatever happens. But don't think for one second you're not important or vital. A lot of people will dismiss you sure but to me you're damn important and I need you to come back." Wolf told her.

* * *

"The boss said to keep you happy." The man said looking down at Rachel with pity as he injected her IV line. Rachel had been laying in her bed listlessly for what felt like hours as pain of her injury, the deep emotional ache in her chest from her inability to save herself and being abandoned drained what little energy she had and kept her unable to move. It was just completely defeating to have her body betray her. She was unrestrained under the blanket but her body refused to get into action and get off the bed to escape.

"You don't have to do this." Rachel told him, even if it was too late given the drugs were running down the IV line into her vein as she didn't even have the energy to remove it and part of her craved the oblivion. Something that was intensely upsetting as she was not someone to take into vices to escape her problems.

"I do and frankly you'll thank me. I'm the chemist around here." He told her as he ready another syringe. "This is my art and frankly I know what Julian does to his victims. So this is my way of helping them and you." He told her.

"I don't want to forget." Rachel slurred as the drugs zipped through her body slowly warming all her little molecules that made up her body. They started to sing in a happy way that was unsettling but also a relief as she felt her pain start to ebb away.

"You won't but you'll be going for a nice ride into oblivion where all your dreams and happiest memories are yours. It's a shot of Joy." He told her with a smile as he injected the second syringe. "So enjoy, I'll be back in a couple hours to make sure you're still in the good zone." he told, Rachel could see his lips moving but missed the rest of what he said as her eyes decided to close and her brain swam in the waves of pleasure as she felt at peace and completely relaxed.

* * *

"I wish I smoked." Larrin said as Tom stood in the front yard of tex's house. They'd finished dinner over an hour ago when the Captain showed up. He'd just finished going over the run down for tomorrow. It just reminded her that she had about 9 hours until she'd be back in Julian's presence. She still wasn't ready and somehow she didn't think she ever would be. Tom gave her an odd look. "Now would be a great moment to curse and lit up." Larrin added like it would magically make sense to the man.

"I don't recommend starting now. It'll only make you sick." Tom advised her, he hated his plan. He looked at Larrin's resignation and hated himself for making the young woman feel so obsolete that she only had one purpose left. It wasn't him, this plan was not how he wanted to play things but it was the only one he could think that would work. He'd get Rachel back, they'd put a good dent in the scavengers and get the information they needed to resolve the problem. The only problem was Larrin in that she had no good outcome either way. She'd survive but in being put back into the hands of her attacker would further traumatise her. To what extent Tom wouldn't know as he found it hard to read Larrin as he didn't know her well enough.

"Why are you following Julian's demands? I mean I get why you have to hand me over but the rest could get you and the others killed. It could be a trap." Larrin said, she appreciated the Captain coming out to talk to her about what was happening personally even if Tex had already gone over it with her.

"Sometimes you have to have your enemy underestimate you. I'm sure you understand that." Tom told her.

"Yeah." Larrin said with a humourless laugh.

"Larrin, we all appreciate you doing this even though you don't feel like you have a choice in it." Tom told her.

* * *

 _Rachel stirred awake at her name and opened her eyes up to see her mother's face peering down at her with an excited smile. "Rachel darling, you have to get up and see this."_

 _"What Mummy?" Rachel asked, it was like a dream as she was 7 years old and back in Africa in their family tent. She cold smell the earth and the ozone as if it had been raining._

 _"Elephants, there's a whole heard with babies. You need to see it. It's amazing. Come." her mother said as she helped pull her upright and pulled on her pinafore over her nightshirt and helped get her boots for her to save time. Before Rachel knew it she was dressed and her mother took her by the hand and joyfully pulled her out of the tent._

 _Rachel smiled with joy as she loved how her mother never stopped finding wondrous things to see during Daddy's pilgrimages to bring the word of God to the people and help them develop more sustainable farming techniques to the villages so they could sustain their people's lives in service to God. It was all too complex for Rachel to understand and she didn't want to dwell as she wanted to see the Elephants._

 _Her mother always made a game of it. Like they were trying to escape the village on a secret mission. Her mother pressed a finger to her lips telling Rachel to be very quiet as she smiled and pointed to father who was talking to a village elder. She ducked down low and sneakily ran behind one of the village huts. She waited a few moments and then gestured for Rachel to follow her. Rachel bit her bottom lip in excitement as she looked to her Father and made sure he wasn't looking._

 _He was very strict about her studies and seeing elephants walk across the plains to him was a frivolas exercise while to Mother it was amazing. Rachel thought it was amazing too as they always snuck off to watch the animals and explore the areas that surrounded their camp._

 _Her mother waved at her to come to her , her smile brilliant as she wanted Rachel to hurry up._

* * *

"Farhad, think we should check on the good Doctor?" Terrence said as the two were kicking their feet up watching a movie called 'Keeping Mum' it was about a murdering Grandmother who came home to reunite with her daughter. It was a Maggie Smith movie that was turning out to be quite entertaining. But then Terrence wished he had a grandmother as cool as the one in the movie.

"No, I gave her another dose like ten minutes ago. She's rolling." Farhad told him with a smile before he took a sip of his beer. If there was one thing he knew about drugs and women. It was that he knew a happy high when he saw one. Dr Scott wasn't going anywhere except in her mind.

"Lucky, I wish I could have some fun but Julian would kick our asses if he found us high." Terrence said blowing out a sigh of annoyance but they would be rewarded.

Or so they thought, but they had their backs to door thus they completely missed Rachel as she walked past their room in slow and staggered gait. The TV turned up so loud that it covered the sound of her foot steps and her IV bag dragging along the floor. The men laughed as the dog met a fatal end.

* * *

 _"Come Darling, just over this ridge." her mother said._

 _"I'm very tired Mummy." Rachel told her._

 _"I know but look." Her mother said and in an instant they were at the top of the valley looking down. Rachel laid down on her belly and smiled at the herd of elephants slowly walking in a line a couple kilometers away from them. It was truly majestic. "See the baby elephants?" Her mother said as she laid on the ground next to her. "They are born completely blind. So she'll follow her Mummy wherever she goes until she's big enough to find her way."_

 _"Like I do with you." Rachel said with a smile as she liked following her mother. She got to have all the fun adventures and see beautiful creatures like butterflies, birds and Elephants._

 _"Uhuh but you're lucky because you get to see the beautiful world around you as you grow up. How about we take a walk?" Her mother said._

 _"Ok." Rachel pushed off the dirt and her world shifted when she turned around she older and her mother was gone. She was about to feel sad about what she figured was a memory passing through her mind when she heard a snap of a camera and gave a frustrated sigh. She turned to the camera and gave the man behind it a mocking look of censure._

 _"Really Michael. You're wasting film." She told him even though she felt warmth wash through her as he gave her a smile and lowered his camera. Michael was possibly the best man she'd ever been in a relationship with._

 _He came into her world and made her feel alive and appreciated. He never got angry about the time and distance that lapsed between them. He always was ready with a smile when he showed up on her doorstep or vice versa. They both had a deep appreciation of Nature and wanting to preserve what they could. He understood her drive to study viruses and bring medical care to remote communities where it was needed. He never asked her to make sacrifices or compromise who she was so they could be together. She didn't want to say it out loud given they only known one another for about 3 months but she loved him. She could see them continuing their travelling lifestyle together and living much like her parents had on the road. But she kept it to herself as she didn't want to scare him off._

 _"No, I'm capturing beauty." He told her, pointing the camera at her once again._

 _"If you want beauty, I'll take you to my favourite place. We just need wheels." Rachel told him with a smile as she wanted to take him to where she and her mother had seen the elephants. She doubt there would be any today but she liked sharing her past with him as he had a nomadic life as a child as well. So he understood._

 _"Take your pick." Michael told her as he gestured to the cars behind him._

 _"I will and I'm driving." Rachel told him as she walked over to the closest and smiled at finding the door unlocked and the keys in the ignition ready to go._

 _"Perfect, it means I can take more pictures." Michael told her as he snapped a picture of her yet again._

 _"I wish you'd take photos of something other than me." Rachel said as she hopped into the jeep._

 _"Our future children will want to know our story. Picture tells a thousand words." Michael said through the open passenger window. Rachel felt a thrill of excitement at the mention of them having a future together._

 _"Get in the car." Rachel told him as she loved Michael but the man talked non stop if she let him and she really didn't need him giving her a lecture on the subject as she wanted to show him one of the villages she had grown up in as a child._


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

* * *

"Hey, can't sleep?" Larrin asked Miller as he came into the kitchen dressed in pyjama pants and t-shirt, it was about 2am and Larrin had given up on trying to sleep. It just wasn't going to happen and she didn't want to have a sleep hangover or oversleep for today.

"Yeah, hungry." Miller lied as he'd been tossing and turning all night. He was nervous about the mission, he was worried about leaving his Mom, afraid for Larrin going back to the guy who hurt her. He knew it was to save Dr Scott but it didn't make things any easier to deal with.

"Toast?" She offered as she finished lathering a piece of toast with Apple butter. She pulled off a small corner and tossed it to Halsey who had woken up and found Larrin in the kitchen. The dog caught the small piece of toast and gobbled it in a second before sitting alert waiting for more.

"Nah, I'll make my own." He said not wanting to take food away from Larrin but also because she had lathered the Apple butter thick which was a little too sweet for him at this hour in the morning. He couldn't help but notice that Larrin was completely dressed in the woodland BDUs all she was missing was the boots. Her hair was loose but brushed. It was like she was ready to move out in the next hour.

"So, you're going to go running tomorrow." Larrin said referring to him and the other volunteers who were going to be handed over to scavengers. She moved to dining table and sat down where a glass of milk was waiting for her as she had placed it there before making her toast. She scratched Halsey's head enjoying the soft feel of his fur and how he looked so happy for the attention even if he wasn't getting anymore food.

"It's the plan. I have a tracker in my boot which is more comfortable than if they put it in my arm." Miller said with a shrug as he made his toast and poured himself a glass of juice. He didn't like the topic of conversation given what it meant. He looked over his shoulder at Larrin and wished he'd said something else instead of talking about the damn trackers.

He looked over glad to see his words hadn't upset her as she had moved onto rubbing Halsey's stomach. It made him smile as he felt sorry for Danny given his dog was a working dog but was currently lapping up the enjoyment a family dog would have.

"Yeah, it's driving me batty. Hence I can't sleep among other reasons." Larrin said, 'Batty' was an understatement as she was ready to cut off her cast and pull the thing out of arm. It wasn't that it was itchy or doing much; it was just a mental thing of her brain saying it was a foreign object that needed to be removed. It was also a nauseating reminder that it was the only thing that would save her. So yeah, it drove her crazy but she kept it all contained in her brain.

"Mmm, you know Tex will have your back." Miller told her as he leaned against the kitchen bench and looked at her while his toast cooked.

"I know, and Captain Chandler went through all the details once again with me last night. So I'm good. I just wish the biggest problem was not getting paint on my clothes." Larrin said wryly.

"I think everyone feels the same. It'll only be a day if that." Miller said, it was something he kept telling himself in the hopes it would help but it didn't. Though he kept trying just in case it did.

"Yeah and then what?" Larrin asked him, it was a loaded question given neither of them knew what was going on. But luckily the toaster finished cooking his toast and Miller turned around because he didn't want them to get bogged down in the bad outcomes of the mission. So he went with keeping it light.

"We could go out for dinner." Miller suggested as he fixed his toast with some butter and moved to the table. Larrin looked at him with an incredulous expression.

"With what money? We're both broke." Larrin reminded him with a smile.

"I will get paid at some point." Miller said as she was right they were both broke but he hadn't thought of the logistics yet. He just like the idea of taking her out of the house where it could be just the two of them. "Or we could have a picnic." he suggested as he sat at the end of the table so he was close to her as she sat to his right. He turned his body and chair so he facing her and in a way closer to her.

"A picnic?" Larrin asked before she picked up a piece of her toast and bit into it. She looked to Halsey wishing the dog would not look at her like he was right now as she was an easy mark right now. But she held strong in not feeding him and focused on Miller.

"Yeah, we steal food from here and eat outside somewhere nice. Just the two of us minus six chaperones." Miller said, Larrin smiled and laughed as he was right about the chaperones and that he counted Halsey as a chaperone. They would never really have more than these quiet moments in the early hours of the moment given there was always someone home.

"That would be nice. I for one do not enjoy my brother glaring at you." Larrin said with a smile.

"I'm hoping he'll get over that." Miller told her, he asked permission to date Larrin and Wolf approved it but his friend was definitely pulling scary big brother routine well.

"He's just messing with you." Larrin assured him, she knew if Wolf really didn't approve he'd be more vocal and try to keep them apart. Something he had done before in the past with other men she had been interested in that he and her other brothers deemed 'unsuitable'.

"I know but it's still unnerving." Miller confessed.

"But are you sure you want to waste your time with me?" She asked him.

"What do mean?" Miller asked as the question was a little left of centre for him.

"I'm a mess." Larrin said in a low voice like it was a secret but also because she didn't want to admit it any louder than she already had. She had dated guys who didn't like what was past her appearance. She really liked Miller, so she'd rather he just dropped her now than let her hold onto hope. Miller leaned in close to her.

"We all are. It's called being human but I would like to kiss you again when everything is not so tense and both of us don't have life threatening situations hanging over our heads." Miller told her, he liked that he wasn't the only one blushing as he sat back. He didn't know what pedestal she had him up on or if it was her own insecurities but he didn't want to be lumped in with those guys. Especially when he felt flaws weren't something that necessarily detracted from one's appearance. At least with Larrin it didn't.

"So, a kiss now would be totally inappropriate?" Larrin asked him with a hopeful and playful smile.

"No, but I think Halsey will bark alerting the house if I try anything like that. He's on Wolf's side." Miller told her, they both looked to Halsey. The dog looked between them as if he were watching and waiting for something. Miller moved his hand to cover hers which made Halsey became more alert and his eyes narrow as if he was assessing whether what Miller was doing was an 'infraction' or not.

"Raincheck?" Larrin asked him as she had to admit that Miller was onto something with Halsey being a 'chaperone' but she also wanted to kiss Miller again but she didn't want to wake up the whole house and she also had to admit she didn't want a dog watching them.

"Definitely." Miller said as he took his hand back so she could continue to eat and drink her early morning snack. "When we get back, we'll square some time for us." he said.

"Done," Larrin said, she knew she could see the negative in the situation but right now she wanted to ride the high of happy emotions than dwell on what wouldn't be. "So I heard you went through the attic of the house yesterday." she added, changing topic.

* * *

 _"When changing gears put in the clutch then move the gear stick. Use the clutch! USE THE CLUTCH!" her Grandfather shouted as Rachel tried to change the gears and the car made a horrible grinding noise while the car lurched. She could not get a handle the timing of changing gears correctly._

 _"I can't find the Clutch!" Rachel shouted back at him, not sure whether to laugh at the ludicrous situation as they were driving in the backstreets of her grandfather's sleepy town in England. Well, she was attempting to drive so far she hadn't gone above 10km per hour so basically people were walking faster than them. Or running in Mrs Kittredge's case as she was deathly afraid she and her fluffy dog would be run over by Rachel in her grandfather's bomby little 1970 mini cooper._

 _"Now we've stalled." Her grandfather told her as the engine cut out completely and the car lurched to a stop._

 _"Sorry, I'm really rubbish at this." Rachel said as she turned to her Grandfather. The old man gave a shrug like it was not a problem. The man had the patience of a saint putting up with her since her Father just dumped her in his care. Apparently her father couldn't tolerate a 15 yr old daughter on holidays from boarding school questioning his faith and his need to travel around the world all the time._

 _"We all stall out. Just got to put your foot on the clutch and turn the key. The first twenty hours of driving are the hardest and you're only on hour number 3." He told her, Rachel gave a nod and returned her attention to the task of driving. She put her foot on the clutch as he'd told her and turned the key. But the engine made some sad noises and the engine light came on. She tried again and the car just refused to start. She looked to her Grandfather._

 _"It's not turning on." She told him, Her grandfather pursed his lips and nodded for a long thoughtful moment._

 _"Well, let's pop the hood and see what's going on." He told her._

* * *

"You ready for this?" Tom asked Larrin the following morning. It was a stupid question but he felt the need to see where her head was at. They stood in the large grass field that was attached to an abandoned farm as the house stood empty a few miles behind them. The place was flat so one could see for miles. So even if they went the idea of a sniper, they wouldn't been able to set it up in time as Tom already counted two vehicles with men standing sentry on opposite ends. They were Julian's men, they had sent up a flare so now they were waiting on Julian to arrive with Rachel.

"It'll be fine. Tex will find me. It's only 24 hours." Larrin said more for herself than Tom. It had been a long drive and night out to the meet. Saying goodbye to Miller and the others had been a hell of lot easier than it had been with Wolf. Her brother was beating himself up about not being able to protect her or help the others.

"You can back out." Tom assured her.

"Right, it's not going to happen. He's coming for me now." Larrin said pointing out the six cars travelling to their position. Tom had wished they'd brought more than two cars but Julian had set the provisos and Michener made it clear they followed Julian's rules to a tee. "You're outnumbered. I think you'll be lucky if you get out of this alive." Larrin told him, her tone wasn't mocking but filled with concern.

"He's supposedly a man of his word." Tom remarked drily before he radioed in the situation back to base.

"You shouldn't have come." Larrin said to him, she swallowed the fear searing it's way through her nerve endings as the six cars pulled to a stop and men piled out armed with guns. Julian stepped out of a front vehicle, he smiled as he motioned to one of the men. Another car door was opened and Dr Scott was pulled out of the vehicle.

"I needed to look this man in the eye." Tom told her, as his tamped down on his anger as Rachel's head was covered with a bag and her hands were handcuffed.

"Captain Chandler, I presume." Julian said across the distance. It was a perfect day as the sun was out but no wind to impede their communication over the distance. But Julian walked to the middle of the field. Like old warriors did in the past meeting on the field, Tom held his weapon low and met the man half way.

"Julian Heldt. Your reputation precedes you." Tom drawled when he felt he was close enough to shot the man but far away that Julian couldn't try to take his weapon. Julian had ego as he stood before Tom unarmed in a nice suit. "Tell me, do you run down your prey in a suit or did you put that on for me?" Tom asked.

"I put it on for Larrin actually. She's more my type. I'm disappointed that I only get to see you plain clothes. I was hoping to see you in uniform but you're still a forbidding looking gentleman." Julian said sizing him up.

"That why you brought so many friends?" Tom asked Julian.

"I came prepared because let's say I have trust issues. Shall we get to business?" Julian said not wasting time.

"I want to see Dr Scott's face." Tom told him.

"No, you get that luxury after Larrin is in my car. I know you and Dr Scott were on your ship together for a while. So I don't trust you to not have some kind of shorthand communication with her." Julian told him. Tom wondered if he should push it but he knew Rachel's long hair anywhere. The clothing obscured her figure but the skin tone looked about right as did her height. It was a risk.

"We don't take off the bag or no deal." Tom told him deciding to push it.

"Or my men will kill you and I'll take both women with me. Decide quickly as I think you've done the math. You can't kill me before they kill you. Take the deal and we both walk away happy." Julian told him.

Tom looked over his shoulder at Larrin, she moved towards them.

"Mon Petit Lapin, what's with all the military wear?" Julian asked when she reached them standing at Tom's side.

"You ruined her other clothes so we supplied her with wear." Tom replied as Larrin was frozen. He had his doubts if this was the best plan but Julian was right. Tom was heavily outgunned. He and the others were still needed to help track and capture scavengers for this plan to work. He now just had to trust Larrin; he knew if she could walk this far then she could go the rest of the way.

"How generous. We will of course be checking her for trackers and weapons." Julian said, he motioned behind him and man came up with a handheld metal detector running it over Larrin's body. It sounded at her arm.

"Her arm-" the man started but Tom interrupted and spoke to Julian directly.

"You broke it and she required a plate and six screws to fix it." Tom told him. Julian looked mildly amused at Tom before looking to Larrin.

"He speak for you?" He asked Larrin in teasing manner.

"Just get this over with. You got what you want now give them Dr Scott so it'll be done and my debt paid." Larrin told Julian and Tom. Julian smiled at Larrin's bitterness not turned off by it in the least as he knew he could fix that and frankly she was right. They were drawing this out too long.

"Of course, so eager to come home to me." he said, as he reached out to touch her but Larrin jerked away from him like it would burn her but her reaction only pleased him. "Take her to my car." he ordered, the man with the metal detector tried to grab for Larrin's arm but she pulled herself out of his range and walked around him heading towards the cars. Tom watched as Larrin was directed into the vehicle that Julian had stepped out of. He then turned his gaze to Julian.

"You got the girl, now hand over Dr Scott." Tom told him.

"Of course," Julian said he made a motion his hand and Tom watched as Dr Scott was released. She walked slowly past them in a weaving pattern like she were drunk towards the cars on Tom's side. He wanted to go to her but right now it was a Mexican stand off and Julian's rules were they couldn't assist the women to the cars which was why Larrin had waved off Julian's goon. "We had to drug her to keep her compliant. Now I'd love to stay around but I have better things to do. Good doing business with you. I hope we'll see each other again soon." Julian told him.

"Oh we will." Tom promised him, he watched as Julian walked away and stood his ground but as Julian stopped at his open car door he smiled at him.

"You know I said you'd get her alive, didn't say it'd stay that way for long once you had her Captain." He told him, Tom's expression fell as a gunshot rang out, he lifted his rifle and fired at Julian first. He got the man in the shoulder and kept firing his weapon as he ran backwards to his side for cover. His team fired off suppression fire and grenade launcher fire. He had expected Julian's people to return fire and for him to be cut down but instead they took the hits and drove off without even returning it fire.

Once they were off in the distance, Tom turned his attention to Rachel. He raced over to her body on the ground and dropped to his knees. She'd barely made it 3/4's of the way to their vehicles. His gut boiled with anger at following Julian's rules and anger at himself for failing Rachel once again. The pain of losing her tore through his chest threatening to make him break his quasi-calm facade.

The bullet had torn through her chest. He rolled her body taking into his arms not caring that blood would stain his clothes. He cradled her carefully, his stomach rolled with nausea as the blood seeped through the fabric of his clothes. Her skin still warm but there was no pulse to be found. His eyes burned with hot tears but he refused to let them fall as he blinked them back.

He gently lifted the bag off of her face; needing to see her face. The bag came off but the face that greeted him was not Rachel's but Dr Clarke's. His grief snapped away and anger flared a new life inside him as Julian had played him the fool. He looked up to the men on his team. They all looked just as bewildered and as pissed as he felt.

"Radio base and tell them Julian lied. He still has Dr Scott." Tom said, he rose to his feet with Dr Clarke's body in his arms and moved to one of the vehicles. "You'll take her remains back to St Louis, I'm taking the other vehicle and meeting with Tex." Tom added as he ran to his car, not wanting to waste a moment.


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: sorry for my absence... :S Life and illness got in the way. I am getting better and will update my other stories soon. So thank you for all the lovely reviews and your patience! Also enjoy this update!

* * *

Chapter 43

* * *

"We're so screwed. How did she get out of bed?" Farhad asked Terrence as they were driving around trying to find Dr Scott and luckily Terrence's car she took so it didn't have much petrol in it. But it was still a lot of ground to cover.

"I have no clue man. She couldn't have done a Houdini, she's smart but like not that smart right?" Terrence asked Farhad as Julian was going to blow a gasket when he learned that Dr Scott had upped and left her bed without them noticing. What was worse; was she took one of their cars and they hadn't noticed a thing.

"Who cares? we just have to find her and get her to where we're meeting Julian or we're screwed." Farhad told him.

* * *

Tex sat in the passenger side of the small Jeep looking to his counterpart as they drove after Larrin's signal. She was at least a half an hour drive in front of them. He couldn't help but feel like they were riding into a trap. That even with the plan in motion, it wasn't enough and he wasn't ready to tell Wolf Larrin was gone.

Hell, he wasn't ready to disappoint anyone but all of this sat badly with him. He partly wished that the America they came back to had been as perfect as advertised. He just wanted the perfect world and the time to be a father his daughter. To put his soldier days behind him.

"I think I have an idea of where they are taking her." His counterpart Marcus said, the man was tall, heavily built man in his late 60's with snow white shoulder length hair that was pulled back into a low bun and a beard. Tex couldn't help but feel like he was looking at an older version of himself. Except Marcus had an LA accent. They were going to meet up with Alex who Tex had spoken with yesterday and John. Their mystery fourth member. Tex would have liked someone from the Nathan James but he could see the benefit of having men who knew the terrain and crazy enough to want to go into a madman's land to retrieve one woman. Though there was an understanding that they'd find more people to save besides Larrin.

"Where's that?" Tex asked, Marcus rattled off the location which meant nothing to Tex given he wasn't savvy on the area they were driving into.

"Julian has a compound. Heavily guarded and well fortified. It was an old hunting lodge for the Freemasons. We'll have to hoof it on foot for about 5 clicks through mountainous terrain as it and dense forestry backs onto the property. It's the only concealed way in. I tend not to pick up stragglers from there are there are too many players." Marcus told him.

"Can we get into the house from there?" Tex asked.

"Well, hopefully the new allotment of 'sport' will draw a crowd away leaving a skeleton crew which we could handle with a small team. Your Captain will have people back us up." Marcus said casually, they lapsed into a companionable silence and Tex watched the road for a long while just stewing in his thoughts of Rachel and Larrin. Mostly it was Larrin occupying his mind as she was a broken spirit and he felt that he had to worry about her more so than Rachel.

"Hey, I heard you picked up Doc." Tex said making conversation needing to know more about Julian and his modus operandi. He figured Marcus would know better than any report would read.

"Yeah, she's got a mean right hook and runs like the wind. She made it 10 clicks from this place in nothing but a hospital gown and grit." Marcus said with a humourless laugh but he spoke with admiration of the woman.

"You think she was one of Julian's?" Tex asked him.

"Possibly, I don't notice types. I just save who I can, drop them in the green zone and get back out here." Marcus told him.

* * *

"Dude, chill." Cruz told Miller as he pressed a hand on Miller's knee that was thumping a million miles an hour annoying everyone in the back of the truck as they were all being ferried to the 'hunting grounds'. "All we gotta do is run for couple miles and then turn the game on them. It's SERE training nothing more." Cruz added as he lifted his hand from Miller's leg.

"I know. I'm worried about Larrin." Miller said in a low voice.

"She'll be fine. You saw what she did to Wright. She can kick ass and she's crazy so she has a better chance than Miyuki." Cruz said pointing to Miyuki Asaka who was a 5ft slim woman flipped him the middle finger for suggesting she wasn't going to bode well out in the field.

"She was really scared of that guy." Miller said.

"Tex and some other dude I would not want to mess with; have her back. This will all work out and then you can get the girl. Have you even asked her out?" Cruz asked him.

"Yeah." Miller answered not sure why they were talking about it.

"Don't be a tight ass, take her somewhere nice. Sacrificial lamb deserves a good meal if she survives this crap." Miyuki told him.

"I'm not a tight ass." Miller informed her, not sure where she even got the idea that he was a tight ass but then he did tend to buy the cheaper of things when he could but only because he sent majority of his pay home and stuffed a portion into savings.

"Yeah, my boy is just broke." Cruz said defending him, but not doing a good job of it. "How about this, if your girl survives I'll give you $20."

"I don't need your charity. We're overdue for our pay. So I'm hoping that will be sorted by the time we're back." Miller told Cruz.

"I had lunch at a really nice riverside bistro downtown. Pretty good prices, nice view." Addler said putting in his two cents.

"I know I'm eating steak when this is over." Cruz said with a sigh.

* * *

Tom sped down the highway hoping to catch up with Tex as they were following Julian. He was taking what he hoped to be a shortcut, it was a dirt road that cut across country as far as Lt Commander Burk told him. The need to find Rachel clawed at his insides. He looked at the road ahead of him and frowned as he saw a car coming up quickly. It was the first car he'd seen for over half an hour.

A figure jumped out in his car's way and waved their hands at him to stop. Tom punched his foot on the brakes, dirt and dust flung up into the air as the SUV's tires screeched and slid trying to stop. Tom winced and gripped the wheel as he couldn't swerve the vehicle as he'd smack into trees and at the speed his car was still fighting for traction. He honked the horn hoping the person jumped out of the way as he was going to hit them.

After three terrifying heart stopping seconds the car came to abrupt stop. Tom looked out the front window but only saw dust clouding the windscreen. He pulled his side arm and stepped out of the vehicle waiting for a trap. He walked around the front of the vehicle as the dust settled he couldn't believe his eyes. There a few steps in front of him was Rachel.

He tucked his side arm into his holster as he looked at her in disbelief. Her hair was windswept, short and choppy, she wore a hospital gown and no shoes. He barely had time to register more of her physical state when she ran at him with a smile and leaped at him. He caught her in his arms as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. She pressed her lips against his like a happy woman in love, the kiss was filled with joy and just enough passion that had Tom responding in kind without even thinking about it.

"I'm so glad you're here Michael." She breathed against his lips. Hearing the name Michael jarred him as she pressed another soft kiss against his lips and looked at him. It was then he could see her pupils were the size of saucers, the heavy sheen of sweat glistening off her face and her flushed cheeks.

"Rachel." Tom said swallowing his confusion of emotions as he felt a little sore for being recognised as her past lover even if it was a hallucination. It still stung a little but it was overwhelmed by his concern for her health as he realised he needed to get her back to St Louis to medical care. She was definitely high on something and given how delusional she was he was afraid she might be overdosing or worse her gunshot wound was infected. All bad situations he couldn't treat.

"My car broke down and I haven't seen anyone for hours. I'm so glad you found me." She said with a huff like she were completely out of breath as she released herself from his body.

"We need to go." Tom told her.

"We do, it's nearly nightfall and I don't want to be out when the Rebels are hunting." She said in agreement. Tom had to wonder where the hell she thought they were. She pressed a hand to her chest.

"You ok?" he asked her, afraid for her.

"Yes, just a little overheated by being in the sun. Let's go Michael, you can take your photos later." She informed him in an authoritative tone.

"Ok." Tom said frowning as he wasn't taking photos.

"Keys?" she prompted with her hand out. Tom nearly burst out laughing but kept it inside.

"I'm driving." Tom said as he moved to his car and pulled open the passenger side door for her.

"No, you're not." Rachel said putting her hands on her hips like she was ready to fight him.

"I am driving Rachel, so get in the car now." Tom ordered, she gave him an incredulous look like she couldn't believe he'd take that tone with her but followed his orders as she got into passenger seat. He closed the door and went to his side and jumped in. He pulled a bottle water from the console and handed it to Rachel. "Drink." he told her.

"You're very bossy. It's not my fault the car broke down." Rachel informed him looking annoyed.

"I'm worried you have heat exhaustion. So please just sip the water slowly. I'll get you back to the camp." He told her as he turned the ignition key and pulled a U-turn and headed back to St Louis.

* * *

"You should be resting." Doc told Wolf as she stood on Kara and Danny's front step. She folded her arms and looked at Wolf who was directing traffic as he'd managed to wrangle about 20 crew members from the Nathan James to help out with the house.

Andrea had marked out what needed to be done. O'Connor was her second as he was making sure no one knocked down the wrong wall or hitting live wires as he planned to use the time after lunch to rewire the downstairs. So far it was coming along as Kara was getting part of her wish. The hallway side that had the kitchen on the other side was being taken down for most part while the lounge room was staying at it was. They were going to widen the door frame to the lounge room just to make the effect that it was a little more light an airy in the downstairs than it currently was.

Wolf knew at the rate they were working, they'd probably have the lounge room half finished before the sun went down. Kat was upstairs with three crewmen putting the second coat of paint on the ceiling, architraves and skirting boards. They'd be able to do the walls after lunch and that left the floors to be vanished but otherwise it was all going to be finished fairly quickly.

All the people in the house were working like demons but Wolf knew it had nothing to do with their want to finish the task at hand but to take their minds off of the situation with America and their crew.

"Got work." Wolf told her as he walked over to her in a slow amble as his chest was killing him from standing up straight. The seat belt bruise and broken ribs were no fun.

"Don't make me sedate you." Doc told him, in a matter of fact tone which for some reason sounded more threatening than it should.

"You got sedatives on you?" He asked her wryly wondering how serious she was about sedating him as he felt like she was the kind of woman who sedate him and let him sleep it off wherever he fell.

"In my car I do." She informed him, Wolf gave a nod knowing he was safe for the time being though if she wanted to incapacitate him they all she had to do was hit him in the chest and he'd go down thanks to the nasty bruise and the broken ribs.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her changing the topic so she wouldn't try to sedate him.

"Checking on you, and I got nothing to do until the wounded come gave me a walkie talkie. I feel so special." Doc said her voice dripping with sarcasm as she held up a radio and shook it with a smile.

"Any word?" He asked as he knew that people either treated her like everyone else or they believed her amnesia somehow meant she was too stupid and that giving her a radio was a fairly big responsibility.

"The sailors and your sister are in transit." Doc informed him.

"Did they get Dr Scott?" He asked, Doc shook her head.

"No, Julian played them...us. I'm not privy to the details only that the Captain has chased after Julian." Doc told him in a low voice, she spoke very frankly that Wolf had no reason to believe that she would keep details from him. But in saying that what she did share didn't exactly bring him any comfort. He'd hoped Kara's house would distract him but it wasn't enough to get his mind off of what was going on. His fears for Larrin and how he was going to handle any of the outcomes ranging from her being killed to her coming back mentally broken like their father had been.

"Thanks for telling me." Wolf said to her.

"You don't look grateful. Look, the tracker in your sister is still active. It's a good sign and I know Steve and the other guys. They will bring her back." Doc assured him.

"People say that but it doesn't make this any easier." Wolf said to her.

* * *

"What do you mean you lost her?" Julian demanded as Farhad and Steve stood before him. They were at the main compound and Julian was having to deal with yet another of their incompetency as they had lost Dr Scott. Something Julian found difficult to believe given the woman was high on drugs and restrained to a bed.

"I gave her a dose at the time allotted and left her. She somehow she slipped out of the restraints and took Steve's car. We tried to track her down but once she hit tarmac her tracks were gone." Farhad told him.

"Or she had help." Julian said looking at the two men questioning their loyalty. Wondering if they had grown soft neither of them were into hunting. They were chemists and drug dealers but he had to wonder if they turned against him in some way to secure their freedom because they believed the Captain would topple him. It wasn't hard to believe given the two were weak of character and knew how tenacious the law could be.

"Dr Clarke might have helped her. It wasn't like any of us checked her restraints and the amount of drugs should have subdued her." Farhad told him.

"Well, she's gone now." Julian said in a perturbed manner as he had wanted to break Dr Scott and turn her to working for his side of business. It wouldn't hurt to have a scientist for the next pandemic.

"She did flee into the hunting grounds so maybe one of the others will pick her up." Steve offered as if it would save his neck.

"Hmm, I hope so for your sake. But for now I want everything prepped for Larrin. The enzyme will work right?" Julian asked Farhad.

"Yes, it's ready to go when you are. Just remember when she's in the high of the drug to get her to recollect you and those months. It should wipe those connections and memories out." Farhad told him.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

* * *

Larrin woke with a start and winced as her body protested the movement with a sharp pain in her arm and chest from her injuries. She slowly tried to push herself up but found herself bound to the bed with a restraints. She looked around the room noting the plush bed under her body and the soft feel of the cotton sheets against her skin. She would have freaked out about her lack of clothing but she could feel the underwire of her bra uncomfortably jabbing against her ribs and she definitely felt a layer between her backside and the sheets. But as she lifted her head up she saw what held her to the bed. She had hospital grade restraints on her left wrist and on her upper arm above her cast. She couldn't see her legs but them they had a sheet over them but she could feel the cuffs on her ankles.

She flopped her head back down and took in the room. It had a log cabin resort feel, as the walls, furniture, floor were all made of wood. It was very masculine in it's decor; the bed linen and curtains were stark white contrasting with the wood. She had to wonder how long she was out and how far away Tex and the others were as Julian had been pissed about being shot and well, he didn't like her being unresponsive to him.

She had been shock over Rachel being killed, she'd frozen earlier when Tom spoke for her as she couldn't believe that they were actually doing this. Either way, Julian shoved her hard enough that when her head hit the car window she snapped out of consciousness. Judging by the fact she was undressed and strapped to a bed, and that it looked to be past midday. She'd hazard awhile.

The door opened and Julian strolled into the room. He wore a different shirt and faded jeans as he strode over to her. She hated that in another life... hell a few months ago she thought he was a good looking bloke that she wouldn't have minded knowing. But now she wanted to be anywhere but with him as he was the reason she was here and fear trickled though her veins like ice water at the knowledge of what he could do and that she was at his mercy.

"Larrin, you're finally awake. How does your head feel?" He asked as he sat down on the bed. He reached out to touch her but she jerked away which made him freeze in his gesture. "I see you're going to be difficult but that's ok as you'll soon enjoy my company again." Julian assured her as he adjusted the sheet and doona over her so she was covered.

"Not in this lifetime." Larrin assured him as she tugged on her restraints she didn't see any point in hiding her want to escape from Julian. It definitely seemed to amuse him given he just smiled at her like one would a misbehaving puppy.

"So you can speak for yourself?" He said in a sly manner.

"Yeah, I figure I have to talk to get something for my pounding headache and maybe something to eat?" she suggested to him. She figured if she could get the restraints off them she could check out what defenses she was against. So it was worth putting it on the table, Julian was cocky enough that he might believe she'd behave if food and Tylenol were offered. He seemed to believe they had a long term arrangement.

"No food yet, you have a small procedure to undergo first and I don't want to clean up your sick." Julian said the door opened and a man came in with a small tray that had two syringes on it. Julian took the tray from him and placed the tray on the bedside table. The man who'd come in left them and closed the door leaving the two of them. It told Larrin very clearly that Julian was definitely at the top of this particular food chain.

"Procedure?" Larrin asked as she wasn't sure she wanted to know but also afraid to not know. She felt her heart speed up and her stomach roll given Julian never pretended to be a medical professional and Larrin the hypocrite she was liked to know what was being put into her body.

"Mmm, yes, just a couple small injections and you'll get some more rest. Then we'll eat a delicious lunch together." He promised her as he picked up one of the syringes, uncapped it and plunged the needle into the flesh of her upper arm.

"What is that?" Larrin demanded, she felt fine for a moment but then everything became incredibly warm and relaxing. Her mind became drowsy as her limbs felt heavy.

"It's to help the process, now I want you to think about the first time we met." Julian told her.

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" Tom asked as Rachel laid in the hospital bed still in a psychotropic daze as she seemed to believe they were all different people and no matter how much he tried to correct her. Rachel would obstinately stick inside her delusions. At least she had an IV in her arm and according to the Doctor known as 'Doc' in fairly good shape. Rachel's gunshot wound was healing fine with no signs of infection. She had pulled a couple of stitches but nothing to be concerned over. She was also dehydrated but the IV fluids would help reverse that.

"She's high as kite." Doc informed him, telling Tom what he already knew.

"Really? I hadn't gotten that." Tom replied drily as he wanted answers. Doc gave him a bored and matter of fact look as she wasn't impressed with his sarcasm.

"Look, she's physically ok. Blood tests will tell us more about what she's riding on but otherwise get off my ass. There's nothing we can do but replenish fluids and be calm until whatever drug she's on runs it's course." Doc informed him.

"Get off your ass?" Tom repeated in disbelief as he'd never had anyone be so rude to him.

"Yeah, medicine isn't like McDonald's. I can't just give you a diagnosis and treatment in less than 10 minutes of seeing the patient. So how about you go do soldier stuff and come back in a couple hours. By then I'll have blood results and more to tell you. She'll also be in a different mental state or asleep." Doc told him with a shrug.

"Soldier stuff" Tom said.

"What? is there an echo in this room?" Doc asked him wryly.

"I'm a sailor." He said correcting her.

"Whatever, just go somewhere else and leave me to my work." Doc said waving him away. Tom couldn't help but follow her orders as it had been a while since he'd been dismissed. Frankly he had to get back to the mission at hand even though he wanted to stay with Rachel. Holding her hand wasn't going to help anyone.

* * *

"Finally something worth playing with." one of Julian's men said as he walked the line of the Nathan James volunteers. They'd been driven out into the middle of nowhere or so it felt as they had been let out of the back of the truck and forced to stand in a line as three men of various stature and looks moved around the group like buyers kicking the tyres so to speak. Miller had to admit he hadn't been checked out in such a fashion in his life and it made him feel rather dehumanized.

The one who seemed to be in charge was a 5ft 7 tall and lean man of Asian decent while his counterparts were Caucasian and African American. The Caucasian man was roughly 6ft and lanky with feral teeth and dreads. His teeth were rotted out and he twitched a lot like he was high on something. The African American man was built like Wolf and the same height with a shaved head, he looked at the group of people with disinterest as if there wasn't anything to his taste.

"I told you we had a good influx. They came in for the cure the Nathan James is handing out." The driver said as he'd been the one to transport Miller and the others. The lanky man leaned against the driver's cab of the truck looking bored as this wasn't his first time trafficking people.

"Where have you been hiding Darling?" The guy with Dreads asked Miyuki with a syrupy LA accent, the woman remained silent as she pretended to look small and meek. He seemed a mixture of annoyed and amused as he pulled out a blade. "Speak or I'll make you speak." he cautioned her as he pointed the knife at her.

"Sumimasen, eigo wa hanasemasen- Ah no engrish." Miyuki said in a timid apologetic voice as she tried to shrink away and waved her hands in surrender. She was a really convincing actor because Miller believed the act even though he'd seen her kick Wolf's ass in sparing match one time. It had been impressive fight and even more amusing as Miyuki was the one left standing while Wolf laid on the ground unconscious. The Captain hadn't been impressed but Miller kind of felt it was empowering as it made the argument of size not always being a disadvantage. It truly came to technique and training.

"Adorable but please put your knife away Kurt. We haven't bought them yet." the Asian man said to the guy in Dreads.

"She's looks young enough to pass as a girl, George." Kurt drawled looking to the Asian man. "I like Japanese school girls, it's like living in that movie Battle Royale." Kurt said as he grabbed Miyuki's arm and yanked her in close.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Miller said as the men seemed to be surrounding Miyuki like she were the prize. He knew Miyuki would kick his ass later but he hated that they all had to pretend they weren't as strong and would allow a woman to be treated as such.

"Oh, look we got us a hero. Is she your girlfriend?" the man named 'George' asked as he walked up the line to Miller. He looked Miller over sizing him up to see whether Miller was worth his time.

"No, but-" Miller stopped as he was backhanded across the face. He tamped down on his anger at being struck and just having to taking it as he turned to face George square on.

"Nothing, you are sport which means you're all here for our amusement. You will be given a half an hour head start into these woods and then; you'll be hunted down. If you survive can cross the border, then you can join our society. If you don't- well you'll come across those who have failed out there." George told him.

* * *

Rachel stirred awake, her body felt wrecked and her emotions were all over the place. She felt like she had woken up from having a long night of crying and red wine. She knew that wasn't the cause as memories of Julian, Dr Clarke and old memories sifted through her mind. The old memories while made her happy left her with an indelible sadness as those times were no more. They passed just as the people in them were long gone and the grief she had always felt she was past floated to the surface.

"Dr Scott?" a woman asked from her bedside. Rachel opened her eyes fully finding herself in another hospital room. This one was in better shape and had proper lighting. She noted the vitals monitor and IV line, her heart pumping a little faster as she was afraid that she hadn't escaped Julian that this woman leaning over her was just another of his colleagues.

"Yes." Rachel asked her voice sounded raw to her ears.

"Welcome back to the real world. You're in St Louis at the Air Force Base Hospital. My name is Doc and I'll be your doctor. How are you feeling?" Doc asked her, Rachel wondered how old 'Doc' was and what kind of sick sense of humour her parents had to call her after one of the seven dwarves as her brain felt incredibly muddled and unfocused. Right now all she could think was how sad she felt like someone had torn out her heart and that Doc was incredibly pretty. Her wild and wavy red hair made Rachel green with envy.

"I feel horrible." Rachel said as she pressed her hands to her face.

"You will for a couple days giving you were running around with a gunshot wound while high on drugs." Doc told her informed her as she moved to the end of the bed and picked up Rachel's chart and scribbled some notes in it.

"What did he give me?" Rachel asked her grateful that Doc was not flashing a penlight to see her pupils and just letting her acclimate to her new surroundings. It was taking a while for her brain to let things sink in like the fact she was free. Really free of Julian and this wasn't a hallucination. She knew she should be elated but she just felt miserable as she knew Larrin would be Julian's captive. The confusing drugs that made her feel as though she was happy even when she was completely cognizant that she was a prisoner.

"MDMA, so you'll feel like you're enduring the worst heartbreak and hangover of your life. Luckily you have a whole team of people to make sure you're hydrated and fed so you can just lie there and go through the motions." Doc told her, Rachel gave a sad smile as tears filled her eyes against her will. It was amazing how Doc's pragmatism just made it acceptable for Rachel to be a mess and her body just went with it.

"Fantastic." Rachel drawled drily as she rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears and try and pull herself together. She didn't like to be openly emotional with people in the room. This woman funnily enough didn't seem to have any sympathy but she also lacked judgement that helped as Rachel was sure if the woman did show she cared then it would just break Rachel's delicate state.

"Yeah, drugs are great in small does. But we don't carry your cocktail to taper you down. And just to put the cherry on top of your crap sundae; Captain Chandler would like to talk to you about your time with Julian." Doc told her.

"He traded Larrin for me." Rachel said, part of her should be pleased at it but she just felt incredibly disappointed that he traded an innocent young woman for her. It went against the man she thought him to be.

"It had to be done, Julian was going to kill a lot of people to get to Larrin. Trading her was the lesser of two evils. So you want to see him or no?." Doc asked.

"Yes, just get it over with." Rachel said bitterly, doc nodded and walked out of the room leaving her to get Tom. Rachel pushed herself up in the bed and smoothed a hand down her hair. New grief stabbed through her as she felt the ragged edges of her now short hair.

Years of long, healthy, beautiful hair gone, she swallowed hard as a lump rose in her throat threatening to choke her. She had kept her hair long because her mother had had long hair. It carried memories of when her mother used to brush and plait her hair. Her grandfather would tell her how much she reminded him of her mother which was the biggest compliment she could receive. The only vanity she really gave into as she wasn't into fashion or make up. Now it was gone, she knew it was petulant to grieve the loss of her hair but she did.

She didn't get much time to dwell as the door opened. Rachel dropped her hands into her lap as she didn't want to be seen as vain. Tom stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He was dressed immaculately as always in his BDUs and clean shaven face but surprisingly when she looked to his face she saw the dark circles under his eyes and the guilt in his expression. She wanted to tell him it was all okay but anger flared in her as he abandoned her into US Witness protection. He'd made decisions on her behalf he had no right to and he'd now traded Larrin, a brilliant young woman with a future just to get her back. A woman he'd rejected and abandoned.

"You have no idea what you've done." she told him in a quiet and angry manner.

"Then tell me." he said accepting her recriminations of his character. He wasn't going to defend himself because he honestly knew he'd do anything to save her. But he knew she wouldn't see it that way.

"He's going to chemically wipe her memories and form a new relationship with her. Make himself her protector and then turn against her. You allowed it for what? ego because you couldn't save me from being shot but you sure as hell won't let me be someone's play thing." Rachel said bitterly, the words slipped from her mouth as she didn't think but spouted out her resentment and betrayal.

"It's not like that. You're important-" Tom started but Rachel cut him off.

"No, I'm not. We're all indispensable, you seemed to think I wasn't worth it before when you put me into witness protection without asking me first. Do you know what it's like to be ripped from your world? From everyone you know and left in the care of strangers? Now you trade a young woman for me like I'm supposed to be ingratiated to you." Rachel said in disgust.

"I did what I had to; to protect you. You may not like it but I'd do it all again." Tom told her as he wasn't going to apologise and he knew when Rachel wasn't feeling so rough from the drugs and her injuries she'd understand. "Now we're trying to recover Larrin from Julian, I know it's a lot to ask but I need to know what you remember about where you were held." Tom added.

"They were supposed to move me from where they held me. So I can't help you." Rachel told him truthfully.

"Ok, well get some rest." Tom said as he decided to take his exit to leave Rachel to rest as their conversation wasn't productive or helpful for either of them as he could see his presence was hurting her. He deserved it.

"Tell me, if I close my eyes will I wake up here or will you be sending me off to somewhere else for my protection?" Rachel asked him. Tom saw the pain in her eyes and tore at him to know it was his fault for her being in so much pain.

"You'll wake up here. You won't go anywhere unless you desire to." Tom told her.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

* * *

Larrin woke with a start. Her head pounded like she had drunk way too much vodka which for some reason explained the massive memory blank on last night. Did she go out? Why did she hurt so much? She opened her eyes and blinked a couple times as the light was incredibly bright in the room. Her vision was blurry but once it cleared, she felt her heart stop in shock as this was not her bedroom.

"Whoa, take it easy." a man said as Larrin tried to get out of bed but only managed to fall off the bed. Her ass hit the floor and she looked down at the cast on her right arm with wide eyes as she didn't remember breaking it. She looked up to see a man on the other side of the bed stand up from his chair and hold his hands out in surrender to show that he wasn't the enemy.

Larrin grabbed the doona on the bed and pulled it around her body as she moved to put her back to the wall. She looked like she was in some kind of hotel room but all of it was disorientating, her head hurt, her body pained in her chest and arm not to mention her ass when she fell. She was thirsty and nauseous.

"I'm not here to hurt you." The man said, she noted his American accent and his handsome features. He was fairly clean cut but that didn't mean he was a good person or that she could trust him given she woke up in her underwear in probably his bed.

"Who the hell are you? and where am I?" Larrin demanded as she tried to remember the last thing that happened to her.

"My name is Julian, do you not remember me Sweetheart?" he asked, he looked hurt by her lapse in memory. He moved around the bed and Larrin pulled on the doona as she pulled it around herself making sure she was covered. She was scared out of her wits and practically naked with a stranger claiming they were a couple. It was insane.

"Sweetheart?" Larrin asked incredulously as she didn't know who the hell this guy was but she was not the type of girl to be called 'sweetheart' or 'baby'. It made her skin crawl to be called it especially by a man she had no memory of who for all his good looks left her feeling unsettled not feeling safe.

"Larrin, we've been together for almost 6 months." he told her looking confused as to why she thought it ridiculous he call her an endearment.

"What? What happened to me?" Larrin said not able to believe him as she was pretty sure she'd remember a guy like him. She tried to stand to put more space between them but her legs were too weak and refused to move.

"You were attacked by Scavengers and suffered a broken arm, ribs and a head injury. You've been unconscious for a week." Julian told her, he tried to move closer but stopped as he noticed she was backing away into the corner of the room which wasn't conducive to their relationship.

"Where are we?" She asked him.

"Somewhere in America, not sure where to be honest. Geography wasn't my strong suit in school." He said with a boyish smile that she assumed was supposed to be endearing but didn't make her feel better.

"Now, I know you're having me on." Larrin said incredulously as she barely could think of where her passport was at home or that she'd jump on a plane when she had a PhD.

"I'm not." He promised her sincerely.

"You are, I-" She wracked her brain to think of what the date was or the last thing she could remember and drew a blank. "the last thing I remember is writing my PhD in a cafe in Australia. Why the hell would I be in America?" She demanded. Julian gave a sigh as he sat down on the edge of the bed looking at her. Though in all honestly her life had become a blur of writing in cafes, she couldn't even remember what the date was but she knew one thing. She didn't have the money to fly to America so what he was saying was insane.

"7 months ago, you came to America to see your brother Wolf. You had issues with your PhD, so you decided to take a holiday. There was a pandemic that swept the world killing millions. We were both picked up by the CDC as they thought we were carriers. It was how we met. Our isolation rooms faced one another. We got along and when people died outside in the labs we made a break for it and have been surviving on our own ever since." He told her.

"I don't remember." Larrin told him which was half true. She had flashes of memories but they were jumbled snippets so she couldn't tell if they were real or just TV shows and her lab hours messing with her mind as it wanted to believe what Julian was saying but she just couldn't as there was no evidence but his word. He seemed earnest but she was hiding in a doona with only her knickers and a bra on.

"It must be the head injury. It'll come back to you. Until then let me get you some clothes and food." he offered, Larrin looked at him for a moment and nodded as she could definitely do with some time alone with her thoughts.

"Yeah, that'd be nice and something for a headache as my head is killing me?" she asked him.

"I can do that. Just stay here." He told her.

"Like I'm going to walk around in my knickers." Larrin sees the grounds and memories flitting through her as she looks at her cast. None of it made sense as she had memories of people she didn't know. Julian smiled at her and gave a nod and he got up off the bed and walked out of the room. Larrin didn't miss the click of the door locking when he left.

She rose to her feet and moved to the bathroom. She availed herself to the toilet and while washing her hand looking the mirror. The sight before her made her gasp as her face was bruised and her hair was a mess. She inwardly chuckled at the moment of vanity for caring about her hair as she catalogued the injuries.

All of them were standard from being attacked, but nothing came to her mind about how they happened. She did know besides her cranking headache, her arm was the running second for pain and annoyance. It hurt like hell and was hot and crazy itchy. She knew it was going to drive her insane but there was nothing she could do about it until it was healed. She just wondered where the doctor was who made the cast and why she would be locked into the room. But most of all she wanted a familiar face, she wanted to go home. Just admitting those things in her mind made her want to cry as she was far away from everyone she knew.

* * *

"Well, damn. This place is a fortress." Tex said as he, Marcus and their third man Ben laid down on the top of a hill that overlooked the compound. There still a fair distance away but close enough to see through the windows thanks to high powered scopes and binoculars. They were all hidden in the brush and the sun was behind them so they wouldn't be discovered unless someone stepped on them.

"I know, why do you think we give it a wide berth?" Ben asked Tex as he was keeping a look out for any trouble coming their way; be it man or fauna.

"What's he hiding in there?" Tex asked out of curiosity, as he felt like the amount of men and weaponry on the grounds to be overkill for a man who believed that he was untouchable.

"People, food, medicine, guns. You name anything something people need. He's got it." Ben told him as he kept scanning the area.

"It's also a way-station for the other scavengers but he's King or Boss. He's also doubled the guards on the perimeter. We're going to need more people for this." Marcus commented as he lifted his head from the scope and looked to Ben. Tex felt the tension between the two as they obviously felt this mission was pushing the limits of their capabilities. What they didn't know was that the Nathan James crew and Tom had faced harder challenges and prevailed. Something Tex was banking on.

"Well, he's got his dream girl in there. Wouldn't want anyone busting up the fun before he lets her out into the wild for the hunt." Ben commented drily.

"We should call it in. Get back up." Tex said with a sigh because there was no way they could get Larrin in and out with what they had on them.

* * *

"What did you get from Dr Scott?" Mike asked as Tom came into the command centre they had set up. Lt Commander Burk and Lt Foster had control of the room and all angles covered. Andrea had left to continue her duties of overseeing the repairs of the Nathan James given she was superfluous to the current mission. Mike and Tom would be leaving soon but Mike knew that this end of the mission would run smoothly as Kara and Cameron gelled well together.

"Third degree burns." Tom remarked in a low voice. Mike could tell his friend was hurting from the situation. Dr Clarke's death and Rachel's recovery even though Julian had double crossed them. It left a man a little unravelled especially when the woman he cared about was in withdrawal and not overflowing with good humour or forgiveness.

"Tex called in, seems the compound where Larrin in is going take more bodies and fire power." Mike informed him, leaving the topic of Rachel to another time given he took Tom's response to say Rachel had no useful information.

"We'll give it once we have more information. I'll need to get geared up." Tom remarked.

"Yeah blueberries aren't going to blend in with the forest." Mike commented wryly, Tom gave him a tired smile and nodded.

"How are our people doing?" Tom asked as he looked to the room. He felt a sense of pride at how professional the room was running and that everyone was working well given it was a mix of Nathan James crew and Lt Commander Burk with Air Force personnel. It wasn't always easy to work with new people in a tough mission like this but so far they acted like a well oiled machine.

"A few of them are running already, operators are on their tails. A few are being sent further a field but all good so far. We should have some captured scavengers in the next hour." Mike told him.

"Do we know who's running?" Tom asked, it wasn't relevant for him to know but he wanted to know.

"Miller, Cruz and Carter." Mike informed him.

* * *

Miller climbed down over the edge of the cliff and tucked himself into the wall hoping the woman chasing him couldn't see him when she looked over. He had to admit he'd counted on being chased by some terrifying guy but instead it was a 5ft 6 blonde woman in her early forties with a machete and throwing knives. It was all kinds of messed up and damned if she wasn't fast on her feet.

So far he'd managed to only get away with a couple slices on his arm and face but he was not banking on this chase being easy and turning on her was not going to easy either as she knew the terrain better than him. So he was banking on whoever had his back to catch up and subdue her as Miller didn't see it going well for him to take her to the ground. He knew it was sexist but he didn't like the idea of hitting a woman even if she was trying to kill him.

A whistle sounded in the air, Miller pressed himself against the cliff wall as it sounded like the woman was close. She seemed to make a whistle call like a bird. At first he was afraid she had a falcon out there but so far no birds of the avian variety had attacked him.

"You out there Red?" She called, Miller frowned as she wondered how stupid she thought he was to answer her. "I can smell you; your sweat, your fear." She cooed. Miller didn't move, he kept his breathing slow and shallow trying to remain as quiet as possible as he could tell she was very close.

* * *

"Eat." Julian told Larrin as they sat at the small room service table with chairs that were in the room. Larrin looked at the porridge and stewed fruit in front of her not really feeling hungry at all. The food looked fine but she just felt miserably ill, she was pretty sure she was coming down with something. It wasn't just the fever that was dragging her down but everything Julian had told her. He told her about the pandemic and how society as she knew it was gone. Gone with it was her way of getting back to Australia and with no means of communication; she had no way of contacting her brother even if he was still stateside. She knew the US military would have him moving around with them doing whatever they could to bring stability to area.

"I'm not feeling well." Larrin answered truthfully.

"Then have some of the toast and juice at least so the Tylenol can help you." Julian said as he rose from his chair. He moved to her side of the table and tried to feel her forehead but Larrin moved away. He gave a sigh. "I'm just trying to help you." he told her.

"I need a doctor." Larrin said swallowing the nausea away momentarily. She was already predicting a 80% of vomit occurring.

"The doctor is on a run for supplies. Let me feel your forehead." he pleaded, Larrin gave a nod and tried to relax. She didn't know why but she just wanted to run for the hills than have him touch her. Her gut just said everything about this place and Julian was wrong. Julian laid a hand on her forehead and Larrin closed her eyes blocking out the fact he was touching her as it made her skin crawl. His hand moved to under her chin and when it lingered too long she pulled her head away and opened her eyes looked at him.

"So?" she asked him, wishing he move away from her.

"You have a temperature. The Tylenol will help but you need to eat some toast and drink some tea. It needs food to work it's magic." Julian said in a caring manner.

"Ok, you know you can go." Larrin told him in a small but dismissive manner. She didn't like his presence. There was just something about him that rubbed her the wrong way but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"I wouldn't leave you alone when you're ill." Julian said.

"I want to be alone and I can take care of myself. Please just go, I need time to myself." Larrin said making it clear she wasn't going to be coddled.

"You remember anything?" he asked her curiously.

"No, but I do know that I prefer to be sick alone. So please just go and let me rest." Larrin told him. He wore a frustrated expression and gave a nod before he left the room. Larrin felt slightly relieved when she heard the click of the lock. She diluted the tea and nibbled on the toast as she racked her brain for memories of Julian. Memories of the past seven months, something but all she got were vague glimpses of things that made no sense.

* * *

Wolf looked around the house, it was mid afternoon and there was no progress report. There was no communications as to what the hell was going on with his sister. He couldn't help but understood why his career drove his family insane given he was now on the outside.

Danny's dream of proposing to Kara in the lounge room would come true as the room was almost done. They just had to put another layer of lacquer on the floorboards and air it. Then it'd be done as they had decided they'd leave it to the couple to fill it with furniture. The rest of the house was still an unmitigated mess but the Lounge room and baby room were pretty much done thanks to the help of many sailors from the Nathan James coming in and out to help the project.

"Eat." Barbara told Wolf as she held out a sandwich on a plate to him.

"Not hungry." Wolf said to her too tired and wound up to be polite.

"Don't care much for that attitude." Barbara said in a no nonsense manner, Wolf nodded as he took the plate, he really wasn't hungry but he knew better than to cross Miller's Mum as she was a force to be reckoned with. "We're all worried about those out there but my boy and your sister need us to stay strong." she added.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Wolf said to her as he was being an ass. Ms Miller's son was out there in just as much danger as Larrin and Kat was worried about Tex. They all had someone to worry about at the moment and his attitude wasn't helping any of them but luckily the house gave them something to work out their energy on.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

* * *

Miller watched as the blonde woman and the man who was his partner named Roy tousled like a Kung Fu movie. He knew he should step in but he honestly felt he'd get in the way than be of assistance. He had only heard the voice of his partner and he had assumed Roy to be tall and big but he looked more like he was Owen Wilson's cousin, 5ft 10, shaggy blonde hair... hell he had the broken nose but that was where the similarities ended.

Miller winced as he watched on and picked up a rock as this fighting was taking too long and they needed to get this woman back to base and find out what she knew. So he took aim and pegged the rock at the blonde woman hard. He smiled and winced as the rock hit the woman in the back of the head. _I'm definitely going to hell..._ he thought as the woman became dazed. It was enough for his partner to sweep out her legs and roll her onto her back and pin her down with an arm hold.

"Really? You couldn't have thrown the rock sooner?" Roy asked him incredulously as he was out of breath. His nose bleeding and his left eye swelling slightly.

"You looked like you needed the exercise." Miller told him, Roy barked a laugh as he pulled plasti-cuffs and restrained the blonde woman.

"Well, hello Natasha." Roy said to the blonde as he pulled her off the ground to her feet. Natasha stared daggers at him but Roy pressed his fingers into a pressure point or so Miller assumed as Natasha's face pinched in pain. "Don't be a bitch, just come a long nicely." he said to her.

"Bite me." Natasha spat at him.

"I would but I'm not a fan of rabies." Roy quipped with a smile at her. He pulled out a radio and called home announcing their capture while Miller went around the space and picked up the discarded weapons.

"Hey Red," Natasha called to Miller.

"Yeah?" Miller asked as he pulled the rifle strap over his upper body enjoying the security and comfort of carrying a weapon again.

"Don't think this is over," she told him with a sinister smile but Miller wasn't scared of her promise as she wasn't after him personally. She just had a thing against red headed men which was her problem not his.

* * *

Larrin tossed and turned in the bed. She had been having a really lovely dream about a redheaded man, his face was fuzzy but she made her feel like she were home, like everything in the world was perfect and nothing could touch her. But the dream had morphed into a terrifying nightmare of her being chased through a forest. It wasn't Australian flora and the terrain was like nothing she'd seen before. She wondered if years of Stargate watching was catching up with her and her overactive imagination.

She woke startled covered in a light sheen of sweat, her heart pounding as she remembered killing faceless men but unlike a nightmare or dream, it didn't fade. It stayed like it were a memory. She kicked off the blankets and made sure she was still dressed. Clothes were still on her person, she looked out the window and noticed how low the sun was in the sky.

She wanted to slip back into the beautiful dream that had proceeded the nightmare, sitting on the couch eating pop tarts. A food item that was next to impossible to find and incredibly overpriced in Australia. Wired things just stuck out in her head and her gut told her that they weren't fiction but she felt it was wishful thinking. She was also afraid if the dream was true then the Nightmare was too. That maybe they were memories resurfacing and her brain was trying to figure them out subconsciously. She brushed her hand over her cast; the camouflage tape, something she knew was not carried in normal stores. The memory of sitting on the same couch which was in her dream but with an older man she felt she admired like she had her father but she couldn't remember his name or why they taped her cast up to begin with. It seemed so important and her head pounded painfully as the answers refused to come out.

She dropped her head back and closed her eyes. She wished she was home, she wished she had her Mum because right now she just wanted to be held and told everything was going to be alright. She wanted a doctor to talk to as she felt like she was a prisoner and that made her worried about the memory blank. She knew she had been attacked but what she couldn't understand was why she couldn't remember anything and why after 7 months being in America her brother hadn't found her? the question marks piled up and made her gut twist painfully.

She heard the lock to the door and turn and she quickly pulled the sheets over her and turn her back to the door. She closed her eyes again and forced her body to relax so that Julian would believe she was asleep and go away. She didn't seem to have any luck as the door opened and closed. She listened as he moved around to the side of the bed to her side. She could feel his eyes boring into her body. Her stomach rolled nauseatingly as he sat down on the edge of the bed. She had secretly dreamed for years what it would be like to be in a relationship with a man while ill. To be cared for but Julian wasn't the man she imagined and her gut just told her to run yet her body was not moving from the pain and the fever burning through her.

She felt his hand gently touch her shoulder, she couldn't hide her flinch so she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"You don't look well Mon Petit Lapin." Julian said in a soft tone. Him calling her a rabbit in french made her bolt out of the bed to the bathroom. She barely made it to the sink when she dry retched, it took a few good heaves before the tea and toast she had managed to swallow down earlier came back up. She turned on the sick washing the evidence away while she leaned heavily on the sink. "You remember." he said in a deadened tone.

"I don't remember anything." Larrin told him but Julian seemed to be pissed at her. He pulled on her up and forced her to face him. There was something eerily familiar about it all. He used his other hand and grabbed her by the throat forcing her face up to meet his. He looked at her eyes for a long moment.

"You abhor my touch and I make you sick. That tells me it didn't work." Julian told her coldly, he pushed her until she was up against the wall by the door.

"What didn't work?" She asked confused as her stomach was ready to revolt again. Fever burned through her skin and her body told her she needed to fall on the floor and enjoy the cold feel of the tiles but fear mixed in with the lethargy making her heart pound fast in a sick fashion.

"The others fell over themselves to be with me, but you fight me even when your memory is messed up." Julian observed as he looked at her like she were an enigma.

"I knew you were full of-"

"The first time we met you were so gullible, maybe I didn't wipe away enough. It is all trial and error." He said speaking more to himself than Larrin.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Larrin demanded as she vainly pushed against him trying to get him to let go of her. But she was physically too weak, she looked around from a weapon and found the bathroom devoid of anything useful. Julian just smiled at her pitiful attempts to push him off and tightened his hold on her throat.

"It doesn't matter." He told her, he squeezed her throat slowing the blood to her brain. She barely lasted a few seconds before she blacked out. He caught her in his arms and lifted her up into bridal hold. He carried her back into the bedroom and laid her gently on the bed.

* * *

Rachel gripped the jagged ends of some of her hair with her hand staring off into space. She had been dwelling in everything that had happened. Doc wasn't lying when she said it would feel like her worst hangover and heart break. The rational part of her brain explained that her emotional state was just over the top, that she was acting like a 16 yr old girl finding out the boy she loved had cheated on her than the adult that she was. That she was overreacting to everything like it was the most horrible things to happen to her and somehow she'd never survive getting out of this bed.

It was ridiculous given she was closer to 40 than she was 16 in age and needed to grow up. She criticised herself to the point it was painful but she needed to be her worst enemy so she would move on quickly. She didn't want to dwell and she sure as hell didn't want to be alone in this room. She hated the loneliness of it all. She wondered where Tex was, he was her friend. Did he not know she was back? Just as she was about to sink into a fresh kind of depression on that a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Rachel called out, she didn't bother smoothing her hair or trying to pretend she was fine. The medical staff didn't care as long as she didn't look suicidal and all her vitals were fine. The door opened and much to Rachel's surprise Andrea Garnett came into the room. The woman was dressed in civilian clothing, she looked so healthy and beautiful as her hair was out of it's usual bun. Rachel was surprised as the woman had shoulder blade long, soft wavy red hair, she was dressed in flared jeans with a chambray button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows.

"Hey Doc." Andrea said to her with a smile as she closed the door behind her.

"Commander." Rachel said, trying to paste on a smile even though she wanted to cry. Andrea just looked amazing and she felt like crap. Once again her bloody body and emotions betraying the adult she was.

"Call me Andrea, I heard you were back and brought you something more palatable than what they got here." Andrea said as she pulled over the tray table with wheels so it was over Rachel's lap. She placed the bag on the table for Rachel.

"Then I insist you call me Rachel." Rachel said in kind. She honestly didn't know why Andrea was here. They didn't have much of a friendship, sure they spoke on the Nathan James but it had always pertained to her work or the mission. Only a few personal moments passed between them but not enough for Rachel to feel she deserved the woman's time.

"Mind if I sit?" Andrea asked gesturing to the bed.

"Of course." Rachel said, Andrea gave her a closed lip smile as she sat down on the bed so the table was between them. She laid the bag on it's side and ripped the bag open for them; revealing three muffins of different varieties.

"These are vegan muffins. I wasn't sure what you eat given you never really ate in the mess the same time as me. So these were the least offensive option I could find. There's plain blueberry, sour cherry and banana oatmeal with chocolate chips. No animals were hurt in the making of these muffins and there aren't any nuts either. So I'm pretty sure they are being held together by hope and pray but I tried a sample in the shop and it tasted pretty good." Andrea teased as she cut each muffin in half. Thus eliminating the problem of choices as it meant Rachel could have some of all of them. She couldn't help but smile as Andrea's comments and the consideration though she wasn't a fussy eater.

"Thank you." Rachel said to her needing to say it before she forgot and because she wanted to.

"No problem, I had time and no one to annoy. So here I am." Andrea said with a shrug as she picked up half of the sour cherry muffin and took a bite.

"I thought you'd be tied up with repairs to the ship or whatever plans there are to save Larrin." Rachel said, she knew there was a plan. Doc had told her about the tracker in Larrin's arm and that they were gathering information and culling Julian's army before they made their move.

"I'm a better engineer than I am a strategist." Andrea knew her strengths and when to get out of the way. "The ship repairs are going well but people are too distracted finding out the place we came home to is still not perfect. So I let them off, and sent those who were still switched on to work on Lt Foster and Green's house." Andrea said in a matter of fact manner.

"Home renovations?" Rachel asked out of curiousity as she wanted to know about what she had been missing out on than talking about herself or thinking about herself. She picked up half of the banana, oats chocolate chip muffin and pulled off a small piece and popped it into her mouth. She wasn't sure how the food would go down but it did taste good as did Andrea's company as the world seemed genuinely lighter even with all the bad going on in it.

"Yeah, the place is a mess. Then Larrin and Miller put a man size hole in the wall of the hallway." Andrea said with a chuckle, Rachel frowned as she hadn't heard the story. Andrea hadn't missed the confusion and launched into the story of how Larrin and Miller had damaged Kara and Danny's home, the antics of lizard statues and horrible 70's decor that migrated to Tex's house. Of course, the catch up of news lead to Danny wanting to propose in the lounge room. "-And he can't help because he was shot in the leg. So we're all busting our asses so that Lt Foster doesn't drop that kid before he proposes." Andrea finished.

"How far along is the house?" Rachel asked, a smile playing on her lips as she loved how much of a family the Nathan James crew was to one another. She didn't know anyone who'd renovate a house for their friends. She did have a good giggle at Miller and Larrin's antics.

"With the amount of people I ordered their way. The bottom area should be 3/4's finished given that Tex, Kathleen and Larrin had stripped majority of carpet and wallpaper out. Why that boy can't grow a pair and ask Lt Foster to marry him without all of the parlaver of a 'setting' and the 'perfect moment' is beyond me. The woman would say yes but he'll get his jocks in a twist about it." Andrea said with an amused expression.

"It's a special moment." Rachel offered diplomatically.

"Bill proposed to me just before I boarded the USS Abraham Lincoln. We kissed and I turned to walk onto the ship when he called out my name. I turned and he threw the ring at me. Told me to think about it and get back to him when I came home." Andrea said, a bright smile crossing her lips as she remembered that day clearly in her mind. It had a sting of grief as it reminded her that Bill was gone but the happiness of that day overpowered it.

"He threw a ring are you?" Rachel asked in disbelief as it didn't sound remotely romantic but Andrea looked really happy at the memory. But Rachel had to admit it was definitely not how she expected a proposal to go.

"It was still in the case with a note asking to me to marry him. He's lucky I caught it as it could have ended up in the drink. That would have been embarrassing." Andrea said.

"Did you say 'Yes' right away?" Rachel asked out of curiosity.

"Nope, I let him suffer until I got back from deployment." Andrea said feeling pretty proud of herself at the part of her memories. "The answer was 'yes' from the beginning but he told me to think about it." she added, Rachel couldn't help but laugh at the humor of it. That and she had to admit it was nice to not hear an a-typical romance. Andrea smiled and grew a little sad as she thought on what she was now missing with them gone. It was hard not to dwell on the life and future she had lost when Bill and Lilly died.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Rachel said to her, Andrea gave a nod.

"Thank you," Andrea said before she straightened her back and squared her shoulders. "But I didn't come here to be a drag, I came here to cheer you up and eat muffins." she told her.

"It's ok, I just appreciate the company. I thought I'd lost everything." Rachel confessed, she gave a tight smile and blinked back tears. Andrea reached out and took Rachel's hand in her own and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Well, you're back and you're going to be ok. The question is what you'll do next after you get out of here. I for one recommend a holiday." Andrea told her in good humor.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

* * *

"Taylor, thank you for coming in. We need your insights on the situation." Captain Chandler said as he waved Wolf over to the table where Commander Slattery, Lt Commander Burk and Kara stood around while the rest of the room was concentrating on the current mission.

"Is there any word on my sister?" Wolf asked, he knew he should ask about the others but right now he needed to make certain Larrin was ok as the call to come in had him more than concerned. He moved to the table to stand with them, he tried to read them all to get a better sense of the situation. Slattery gave nothing away, the Captain looked deep in his own thoughts while Burk's older brother's attention was torn between the action of the room and what was on the table. Kara had a weird doe caught in the headlights expression which gave him nothing as it was her version of 'I'm working and not saying a thing'. If it was a more casual setting he'd tell her that her expressions needed work as her's tended to make him feel more stressed out than he should.

"The tracker is still active, there has been no visual sighting of her yet but Tex and his team are waiting for back up." Kara said to him, Wolf nodded as an active tracker didn't mean much but appreciated the information.

"This is the compound. We've counted many guards on the ground. It seems we're going to have to make a lot of noise and drop a lot of bodies to get your sister out." Chandler said to Wolf as he gestured to the maps and satellite photos they had on the table. Wolf looked it over knowing they were planning to storm the compound which was a risky move as it could result in a lot of collateral damage. If the number of people on the grounds was correct.

"Ok, when is it going down? Why do you need my insights?" Wolf asked, he looked at the others sensing there was something he was missing and it wasn't good given the reticence he felt from the others around the table.

"We've learnt that Julian has in his possession a drug that wipes out his victims memories. As Doc explained it to me that if all of Larrin's memories are wiped then she'll only retain skills and knowledge that have been ingrained into her-" Chandler started to explain but Doc appeared by Wolf's side and cut the Captain off.

"No, I said that he's been experimenting with removing himself from his victims memories." Doc said correcting him as she folded her arms across her chest and looked annoyed at the man.

"Is there such a thing?" Wolf asked Doc as he knew she was annoyed at the Captain because he wasn't acting fast enough to retrieve Larrin. Something that told him she was not military as she would understand this type of mission relied heavily on patience and strategy to make sure everything was in place before proceeding otherwise more people ended up injured or dead.

"There is a prototype drug that is an enzyme that was being developed for PTSD suffers as it- look I'm not going to bore you with the science. The point is he trying to wipe the slate clean with your sister. The problem is that memories aren't stored in a linear sense or like a computer." Doc offered as she understood it but had difficulties dumbing it down enough for others to understand but she was trying.

"I'm confused." Wolf said as he felt a headache coming on as she lost him at enzyme. Doc took a deep breath using it to give herself a moment to gather her thoughts.

"For the drug to work, she has to be thinking of what he wants erased while injecting her with the drug. The problem like I said is that it's not a simple fix. Memories are basically a jumbled mess in your brain. You can't just wipe out one part without removing other parts or leaving massive blanks." Doc looked around for a prop and picked up Mike's cup of coffee that was on the table. "For example, pretend I was trying to wipe the memory of this terrible coffee from your memory. Even if you were focusing on how terrible this cup of coffee is, your brain has already attached the memory of it to every other cup of coffee previously had before good or bad. It's automatic association in your brain linking those memories together. It's how you make the comparison between this coffee and others previously-"

"So I'd forget coffee?" Wolf asked her, he couldn't help the wry smile curling on his lips as what she was saying was science fiction to him and because Slattery was eyeing the cup of coffee like he was planning to snatch it back but not sure when to strike. Everyone on the Nathan James knew not to stand between Slattery and the coffee.

"It's a little more complicated than that. You'd forget this cup of coffee but if I gave you too much of the drug you could forget every memory attached to every cup of coffee you had. So that morning briefing you had three weeks ago where you perfected the perfect milk to sugar ratio gone. Too little of drug, you'd feel a sense of deja vu but your brain wouldn't be able to interpret what makes it familiar. So it leads to confusion as your brain tries to remember how it could know what the coffee tastes like. Got it?" She asked him, She placed the cup back on the table at which point Slattery picked it back up to guard it.

"Vaguely. So Larrin could-" Wolf started but Doc cut him off.

"End up like me where she doesn't remember anything or in the middle ground where she might be missing blocks of time. Julian does this so he can have his fun, wipe her memories and attack her again. It's a 'victimless' crime as she doesn't remember. He'd have complete control over her as he'd create the narrative for her to understand why she couldn't remember things. The point is that your sister might not remember Julian is a bad guy, she might not recognise Tex as a friendly." Doc told him, Wolf wanted to argue with her calling it a 'victimless' crime but he knew the point she was trying to show him. She wanted to understand that she was one of Julian's victims but she was hardly traumatised or able to tell him what happened as she didn't remember. That and there was a strong chance Larrin could end up the same.

"Which is why I asked you here. You and your sister have had an unorthodox upbringing. We need to know how she's going to act with half or all her memories gone as she will most likely fall back onto that training. That makes you the most qualified to tell us how she'll operate." Chandler told Wolf cutting through his thoughts and the grief sickening him as he he realised he could have lost his sister completely. Her words about disappearing into the forested came back in a haunting way.

"If Julian hasn't brainwashed her? She see two fighting forces and hightail it out of there. It's better to retreat than get in the middle of or takes sides in fight she knows nothing about." Wolf told them, pushing his dark thoughts away and focusing on getting Larrin back. He'd deal with whatever happened as it did.

"She won't hide?" Slattery asked him, Wolf shook his head as he knew that majority of people in Larrin's situation would find a place to hide and wait for the smoke to clear but their father hadn't taught them that.

"No, our father taught us hiding isn't always the best option. At least in this scenario if you attack from three sides, she'll escape through the path of least resistance given her injuries. Let me go out there." Wolf told them, as he indicated to the map. He could barely keep his emotions to himself as he felt anger roll into the mix of grief as he felt helpless. If Larrin didn't remember him then she'd run blindly and he couldn't lose her not now or ever.

"No, this is too close for you." Chandler told him in a tone that brokered no argument but Wolf ignored it.

"Put me on this side of the perimeter. I'm not asking to be in the fight. I asking to be on the sidelines to catch my sister when she runs." Wolf told them. He could see they were going to say 'no' but couldn't stand to hear it. "Please, I've never asked for anything. Just let me be there. If she doesn't recognise any of you, she might recognise me and I don't want to lose her. So please let me go." Wolf pleaded to Chandler and Slattery.

"It would help if we have familiar faces. Assuming he hasn't wiped her memory completely; she's going to be fevered and disorientated. If she doesn't remember coming to America then she won't know any of our faces but his. You can't tranq her as we have no idea how it will interact with whatever he's put in her which means the only other way of subduing her is with violence which could backfire. Wolf will be your best bet to get her comply." Doc said taking Wolf's side and backing him up.

"You said he was in no condition-" Chandler started by Doc cut him off much to his clear annoyance.

"For combat. This isn't combat duties we're talking about. He's standing on the sidelines with me and an ambulance to transport her." Doc said in a matter of fact tone like it was all going to go easy as pie. Slattery and Chandler exchanged looks in some kind of weird telepathic conversation before Chandler caved.

"Ok, you're in. Wear a vest and you'll be given a side arm. Go get geared up." Chandler ordered him, Wolf felt a wave of relief wash through him.

"Thank you sir." He said.

* * *

"Ok Natasha, here's the sweet one time deal. You tell us everything and you end up under house arrest in a beautiful two story brick house with a swimming pool. The state of Missouri will deliver food to the doorstep and the pool maintained because exercise is important. If you don't spill then it's back to super max prison." Roy told her as they were placing all their captured scavengers into a federal prison as it was the closest secure place to hold them between St Louis and the hunting grounds.

"Why would I talk? Julian is going to win this war purely on the amount of men and women on his side. There are what? 300 of you. There are thousands of us. So I think I'll sit pretty here for my rescue." Natasha told them with a smile as she reclined back onto one of the two beds in the cell. Roy stood inside the room while Miller leaned against the open doorway. Natasha seemed pretty complaint now she was in chains. Her ankles and wrists were cuffed with a chain linking them but they weren't fools. She was still dangerous and they had precautions in place as the facility was fully staffed with guards and the prison itself was surrounded by pressure mines. So if someone tried to overrun them they'd have to make it through a minefield first.

"Go ahead but I don't think your friends will stay quiet and we have a plan. The Scavengers have had their hour. So don't get used to this plush room as it's just a stop over." Roy promised her.

"That's adorable." Natasha said mockingly as she didn't believe they could win. But then the odds were against the Military. She just underestimated their drive to take back the country from the Scavengers.

"We know where Julian is, there's a plan in the works. But extra information doesn't hurt." Miller told her, he knew that Tex was out there and when he checked in. He was given a two hour reprieve to get geared up and join them as they needed more bodies on the mission they dubbed 'the party' which was the rescue of Larrin and taking Julian into custody. He had a feeling things had become more complicated but they weren't ready to discuss it over the radio in detail.

"I didn't come down in the last storm. You have no idea where Julian is." Natasha drawled.

"We sent him the girl of his dreams and she had a tracker in her. So we have his location, he'll be dead before sun up. So that will create a power vacuum which will create a lot of dramas in your factions about who will be at the top. While your friends are in fighting, we'll come in and help out with a few well placed drone attacks. Boom Scavengers are no more." Roy told her.

"And possibly kill innocent people?" Natasha asked, she quirked an eyebrow as she knew civilian causalities went against the grain with the Military and civil servants. But Roy just gave a nonchalant shrug like it didn't matter and Miller kept a neutral expression as he knew Roy was trying to get Natasha to talk.

"Acceptable losses for us to rebuild the country. The question is will you choose luxury or got to super max with all your other playmates who survive the siege. I'm sure they'll love knowing you snitched them out." Roy said.

"They know I'm loyal."

"Will they? Even when they are all going to be charged for escaping prison and the crimes they committed in the past few months. While you just get off scot-free like you cut a deal with us to just serve your time and waive death penalty." Roy said with an amused smile as he gave her a scenario where her inmates would believe her a traitor. Natasha wasn't moved in the least by his words.

"I'm not turning on Julian or anyone." Natasha told him, Roy gave a nod accepting her decision.

"Well, it's your life. I hope you enjoy the scratchy sheets, lumpy food and cold showers. Not to mention the lovely fashions of jumpsuits and scrubs. Just remember to watch your back." Roy said as he walked out of the room. Miller followed and closed the door to the cell. The lock sounded and Miller turned to Roy.

"What's next?" Miller asked him, he had to admit he liked being in the room of the interrogation. He'd only seen such things on TV, not that he got to be as cool as the cops on TV but it was interesting.

"We join your Captain and hope the others have better luck." Roy said with a shrug, he was genuinely apathetic to the situation.

"Why didn't you push her?" Miller asked out of curiosity as he just wanted to understand the mechanics of it all and Roy seemed well versed in interrogation skills.

"Natasha is a woman who thrives on dominating her prey. We can deal with her but we can't break her without doing physical harm and that never produces the results we want. We'll wait for your friend Miyuki and Brad to bring in their scavenger. He has a serious drug problem which can definitely work in our favour. Withdrawal is a bitch especially for long term abuser." Roy told him.

* * *

"She's burning up, it might be best to wait until the fever is gone before administering more drugs. They'll be less effective or possibly make her worse. If she has no memory and enters a delirium we could have another event like we did with Hannah." Farhad told Julian as they looked down at Larrin's unconscious form.

"Hannah was definitely special." Julian said as he remembered the woman with her spunk, the only problem was that she was a redhead and too pale. No amount of hair dye or sun were going to make her Larrin but what happened with her had been amusing until she managed to disappear like a ghost in the woods.

She had been a medical student or a doctor. He couldn't remember but what he did remember was that she was brilliant and vivacious woman. When he'd given her too much of PKMzeta-blocking drug, she went into similar symptoms of overdose; the most notable was the delirium as the drug had melted away her memory and seemingly her ethics as she went into survival mode to escape. She institutionally knew she was in danger and went on the offence and apparently the memories of her studies into the human anatomy helped.

"Doctors are just as dangerous as soldiers when their memories are missing." Farhad told him.

"She's not a soldier. She's a student but her father trained her how to fight and survive. There is a difference as she's disinclined to use violence unless it's a last result. The problem is that if I can't wipe away every trace of her fear then she'll never trust me." Julian said.

"Too much of the enzyme could destroy her mind and endanger us all." Farhad warned him.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

* * *

"It'll be ok." Doc said to Wolf as they were in the back of an ambulance as they were being driven to the compound where Larrin was being held. They had managed to get one of the scavengers to crack. It seemed a couple of them had drug habits and didn't like the symptoms of withdrawal or being put back into the prison they'd originally stayed in. Apparently federal prison was cushier and more enticing to those who'd cave.

They learned that Julian's compound was heavily manned and armed but he was one of three leaders who worked together to keep the prison cultures and cohesive alive outside the prisons. But it wasn't out of love and respect for one another, no it was just about survival until one of them had enough bodies and territory to take over. They of course didn't have a roll call for who was loose from the prisons, but it wasn't thousands. Apparently it had been thousands in the beginning but gang wars, racism and other petty squabbles cut down the numbers. Sure the military was still outnumbered but it was a manageable number. If they were to believe their sources.

"You have to stop saying that. Right now, I have no clue if my sister will remember me and it's all because I let this happen." Wolf told her, he felt the guilt and responsibility lay heavily on his shoulders. He'd follow the Nathan James and their mission when he should have tried to find a way home. Tried to find out about his family and made sure they were squared away. It could have helped in some way of averting all of this.

"That isn't true. Your sister made a choice and yes, she could end up just like me but she's going to be fine. She has you and a very strong support network. I can tell you that I'd give anything to just know my name, to know someone who recognised me. So start looking at the positive of the situation than what's might be lost." Doc told him.

"You're right, I'm sorry." Wolf said feeling like an asshole because Doc was one of Julian's victims. That she had survived and was still a functioning human being that having no memory of what happened to her probably wasn't a bad thing but a luxury. But he knew if his memories were missing he'd feel the ache of what he was missing.

"It's ok." Doc said a calm and dismissive manner as she didn't want to have a deep and meaningful conversation about it now. "One day, the world will be rebuilt and we'll have facial recognition and access to the DMV to help identify who I am." She said with a wry smile.

"Or you could just pick a name for yourself like Mabel." Wolf offered with a smile.

"Mabel? Do I look like a Mabel?" She asked him as she gestured to herself. She knew she was inviting trouble but it was better for them to keep their sense of humour than dwell on what was going to happen. Wolf looked her over and Doc couldn't hide the stupid blush as he didn't appraise her in a sexual manner but as if he was trying to suss out what kind of name would suit her.

"Deirdre." Wolf offered with a smile as he had to admit he felt better saying fairly old fashioned names to Doc to see her cute reaction as it was a good distraction from his mind and Larrin.

"Are you naming your grandmothers?" She asked him mockingly.

* * *

Larrin stirred awake and groaned as her body felt like it was made of lead. She felt sickly warm and her skin tingled in waves of pins and needles that made her feel uncomfortable and nauseous. She felt a cool cloth press to her forehead and gave a sigh as it felt good. She slowly opened her eyes and found a handsome face in her vision.

"Do I know you?" She asked him, she felt she should be scared but she was too exhausted and sick to be scared of the man pressing a damp cloth to her face. Something that she felt wasn't like her which made her frown. She tried to move but found sharp and intense pain lace through her right arm and radiate through her body. It immobilised her and made her flopped back down, not that she had moved all that far.

"No, you don't. You're seriously injured and ill. I found you in the forest a few days ago." Julian lied as he looked down at Larrin's face. He was looking for tells and found none. Maybe he'd given her the right amount of the drug that he'd wipe himself out of her memory, it went against Farhad's suggestion but then the man was a chemistry mastermind not a doctor. Julian had also mixed in a small amount of molly to see if it would make Larrin less cold towards him. So far he could tell it was working even with her fever.

"You look familiar." Larrin said to him.

"My brother was a very famous celebrity. So people sometimes would mistake me for him until they got a closer look and realised I wasn't him. I guess I'll have to get used it even with him gone." He offered with a saddened smile.

"I'm sorry." Larrin said with genuine sympathy that made Julian inwardly smile as now they were getting somewhere. He just had to keep up the ruse on his end so she felt bonded to him. He realised pretending to be in a relationship with her was the wrong tactic. He needed to be a stranger and work from there.

"It's ok, now do you have a name?" Julian asked her.

"Yeah-ah" it took her a moment to think of her name before it came to her which disturbed her. "Larrin, my last name is a little fuzzy though like a lot of things." Larrin confessed with frown. He could see she was clearly upset and in pain from her injuries and the missing holes in her memory.

"You took a hit to the head and you're ill. I think you'll be fuzzy for a while so just rest and take it easy." Julian said in a comforting manner.

"Why are you taking care of me? Why aren't I in hospital?" Larrin asked as she figured if she was so ill, wouldn't they take her to a hospital and call her family. She was sure she had family even if she was struggling to remember their faces and what their names were. But she knew they existed.

"Because there was a storm and the roads are washed out. So we're stuck until the roads are re-opened. I spoke with emergency services so they know you're here. As to why I'm doing this? well I was once in trouble and someone helped me. So I'm passing along the kindness. So relax and go back to sleep, you're safe." He told her inwardly pleased as Larrin did visibly relax and close her eyes.

* * *

"Dude, you sure you should be out here?" Miller asked Cruz a couple hours later.

"Yeah, it's just a broken nose." Cruz said with a shrug that made him wince. Miller had to admit his friend looked like he was the loser of the fight as he had a broken nose that had given him dark bags under his eyes and a busted lip. Miller had a feeling he had a couple broken ribs from the way he was favouring his left side but kept quiet as he appreciated the company.

"Awwh, did you get dominated?" Miyuki asked Cruz in a teasing tone as she joined them. They and the others who'd been runners were now back in uniform and armed to the teeth. They and several others were standing on a dirt road a few miles away from the compound. They were about to hoof it on foot but were waiting for the Captain to give his usual speech of 'Don't die', he of course used more words and encouragement but the gist was 'don't die'. Miller had to admit he liked Commander Slattery's speeches better given they were short and included a joke while the Captain could sometimes be a little over sentimental which felt counterproductive when they all needed to be mean, strong kick ass sailors.

"I don't like hitting women but I made an exception once. Maybe I'll make it again." Cruz told Miyuki, the woman smiled as she like Miller came out completely uninjured but from what he heard Miyuki had taken her pursers down without even needing her back up. She was really a scary woman.

"Please don't, it'd just be boring." Miyuki told him with a mocking expression of displeasure. Cruz had to admit he was struggling to come up with a witty retort but was saved as Commander Slattery called for their attention.

* * *

"This is one crack pot plan." Marcus said as he leaned against the ambulance and looked to Wolf, Doc in particular as Wolf gave him, Tex and Ben the abridged version of the plan. They were waiting for the Captain to join them. Two other sailors were with them but they were keeping a lookout as there weren't taking a chance with anything at this stage.

"So we're going after the girl." Ben said.

"Her name is Larrin." Wolf told him.

"Ok, well IR tells me she's the body in the upstairs room. Only person with the hottest signal and most stationary given we know that transmitter in her arm has to be going ripe." Ben said, Wolf took a deep breath trying to remind himself that these men were going to save his sister. That he needed them to be emotionally detached and calm but it did rankle him how apathetic they were.

"I'll agree with that assumption." Doc said to Ben.

"So, our plan is to bypass the mayhem and go for Larrin directly and get her out and let the military mop up the place." Marcus said folding his arms as he looked to Tex, it seemed the three had formed a bond in their short time together as a team. Tex seemed to be the leader as he gave a nod.

"I assume you've been made aware that Larrin might not remember you Mr Nolan?" Doc asked Tex.

"First off, it's Tex and what now?" Tex asked looking confused, as he and the others had been on observation duties. They hadn't seen Larrin, only the tracker signal told them she was in there and the IR sweep from a drone that flew over a half an hour ago. It did a proper count of the bodies on the ground and inside the complex. It only confirmed what they knew and even with the Captain's plan it wasn't good odds. But they couldn't just let it go on and they definitely couldn't leave Larrin inside.

"Julian likes to drug his victims with MDMA to help them bond to him and he's managed to get his hands on an experimental therapeutic drug for PTSD. I could get into the details but all you really need to know is that it affects the memory centre of the brain. She might not remember who you are and given how long she's been in Julian's care he may have convinced her that we're the enemy." Doc explained to Tex, Tex blew out a breath as he didn't look impressed with the information just given to him but it wouldn't put him off as he owed it to Wolf and Larrin to recover her. He made a promise and he was going to keep it.

"Like what he did with you?" Ben asked Doc, Wolf watched as Doc looked distinctly uncomfortable by what Ben had brought up and wondered what he was missing. He knew that Julian had wiped Doc's memories, she hadn't shared everything about herself which was interesting given she wasn't shy.

"Probably, I prefer we not rehash that." Doc told Ben, she was missing her memories but she did know that she had managed to survive something horrific. She just didn't like talking about it as it just reminded her of the big blanks in her head.

"We have to if she's going to do what you did." Ben argued.

"Allegedly did and drop it." Marcus said in a tone that said to drop it. Ben looked perturbed while Doc looked relieved.

"My point is that drugs and memory loss are a dangerous mix." Ben said not dropping it.

"What can we expect from her?" Marcus asked Wolf.

"My sister has been trained in martial arts and SERE as you all like to call it here." Wolf said as he didn't know how much they all were told about Larrin. He honestly couldn't see her as a threat to Tex and the others but who knew what lies Julian had filled her head with. "She's not a natural fighter, it's a last resort method to her as she's fast on her feet."

"Then I'll take point, you two cover the exits and if she gets the upper hand on me you two can take her down." Tex said as they made their own plan. They knew they'd be winging it for most part but Tex hoped that Larrin remembered him as he wanted to bring her home.

"She has a broken arm and ribs. So I doubt she'll be much of a fighter." Doc told them.

* * *

"They will be attacking the compound now." Andrea told Rachel as she looked to her watch noting the time. She had stayed with Rachel for most of the day. She knew part of her was hiding but another really enjoyed the company of Rachel. Sure the woman was not a party as she was quiet and in near tears for most of the time but it was nice to not be alone.

"I hope they find her before it's too late." Rachel said as she blew out a breath, she thought by now she'd feel more like herself but she didn't. She still felt like an emotional wreck. For most part of the last couple of hours she had laid in her bed staring off into space thinking about her grandfather, her mother and Micheal. The grief of the memories, the pain of feeling like there would never be another happy moment in her life drained her of energy and will to just exist but she was still here. She was grateful for Andrea's presence as she didn't sugarcoat things or ply Rachel with platitudes of things getting better. She just let Rachel roll through the emotions and talked every once and while about inconsequential things.

"We'll find out in the next hour." Andrea told her.

"I hope they kill Julian." Rachel said, she ran a hand through her hair and winced as her fingers met the rough ends of where he cut her hair. She thought of Dr Clarke and how she had died because of her.

"You know I could cut your hair for you. I'm not a hairdresser but I can cut a straight line and neaten it up until you're able to see one. I'm sure there is some scissors and there'd have to be shampoo and conditioner pack somewhere." Andrea offered gesturing to her own hair to signify she was talking about Rachel's.

"That- I'd like that." Rachel said as she might feel weak but she felt that she could summon enough energy and strength to get out of bed for a shower. The thought of just washing away the sweat and imagined dirt from her skin would make her feel better.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

* * *

Larrin woke up at the sound of an explosion. She lurched out of bed and fell to the floor in a heap as her body just refused to work for her. Her heart pounded and sickly sweat stuck to her skin as she felt feverish. She looked around the room as she heard more explosions, shouting and gunfire. She looked down at the clothes she was wearing and didn't recognize them, her arm was broken which made her wonder when it happened. It had to have been recently as it hurt like hell. In fact it felt like the cast was too small for her arm. She tried to flex her finger and nearly vomited as hot pain zapped through her arm and into her chest. She looked around trying to get her bearings but she didn't know the room. Nothing felt familiar to her which made her feel upset and confused. She looked down at her hand and arm cast seeing the bruises on her wrist. Was she a captive? it made sense but it gave her more questions. Who was attacking the place? How could she tell the enemy from her friends. Her head pounded in a sickly manner as it was too much. The door to the room swung open and Larrin saw a man she didn't recognize rush at her.

"Larrin, you ok?" he asked her in genuine concern.

"Stay back." She demanded, fear and panic spread through her as she didn't know what was happening and couldn't make sense of it as she felt sensory overload by her surroundings and now there was a bearded man armed with a rifle coming at her but he had stopped in his tracks at her demand. He seemed to know her name but she didn't know him but yet there was a sense of deja vu prickling along her skin and making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up as she didn't know how to trust herself when she couldn't get her bearings.

"Larrin, look at me." He gently touched her face but she flinched because the contact hurt her oversensitive skin not because she was scared. "We're not safe here, we need to go." he told her in a gentle manner.

"Who are you?" she asked him as she rose to her feet. She swayed slightly as she became lightheaded but Julian grabbed her elbow to stabilise her. She looked out the window and saw the mayhem but she didn't miss the sight of military uniforms. The military were attacking them, not the other way round which meant Julian a man she vaguely remembered couldn't be trusted.

"Julian, remember earlier when you woke up. I'm looking after you, I found you in the woods a couple of days ago?" he asked prompting her memory. Larrin frowned as what he said sounded right but it seemed so vague like almost a dream. But that didn't make him the good guy. Her memory was failing her as she couldn't figure out what was going on which was disorientating to say the least.

"Why are the military out there?" she asked him, she looked down at the tape on her cast. Only people she knew owned that kind of tape were Military, which meant she was running from the Military but she couldn't imagine running away from them. Her father was military.

"They aren't military, they are impostors." Julian said pulling her away from the window.

"No, they aren't. What's going on here?" Larrin demanded.

* * *

Wolf paced the ground in front of the opened back door of the ambulance. He couldn't sit still as he heard the gunfire and explosions in the distance. He could just run and be right in the thick of it but he knew he'd be a hindrance than help. It was incredibly hard to sit on the sidelines and wait, something he never truly appreciated until now as he was literally on the sidelines.

Doc seemed completely used to it like this was as she was laying on the gurney in the back looking fairly bored. The two sailors Chandler had assigned to them were standing guard for trouble. But then they were all way too far away to be in any real danger.

"Aren't you worried or scared?" Wolf asked her.

"Nope, surrounded by guys with guns and the danger is miles away. Not my sister in there. You need to calm down and stop pacing or you'll just exhaust yourself." Doc told him in a matter of fact tone.

"I shouldn't have come." Wolf said as he didn't have the temperament to sit on the sidelines. Not while his sister's life was on the lines.

"Don't make me sedate you." Doc told him.

"How does none of this touch you?" he asked her.

"Because we're trained to be calm in these situations. We need to stay clear headed and remember you're here because your sister has probably had a good chunk of her memory wiped. So she's going to need you to make sense of what's going on and to be calm. So stow your crap and be a soldier." Doc told him.

"Sailor." Wolf corrected with a wry smile as Doc was right but she was also adorable when she was trying to be authoritative.

* * *

Tom, Tex, Ben and Marcus progressed up the fire stairs to the top floor of the building. The battle waged inside and out of the house but they were winning even outnumbered their skills as sailors, soldiers and marines gave them the advantage over men who learned to fire a gun from a movie. The drone attack had helped cull down the initial numbers and sent people running, some surrendered only be shot by their colleagues for attempting to betray them. The infighting of the scavengers helped them but Julian was no where to be seen.

Tom had given the order for the teams to use extreme measures to attain their goals. He wasn't going to lose any more good people to Julian if he could help it. He already had three sailors laid up in hospital not including Lt Green thanks to these criminals being on the loose. Now was the time to see them not as people who could be rehabilitated but as the enemy that they needed to subdue. He knew history would not look kindly on him but right now he didn't care. He wanted Julian dead but the man was more valuable alive. So he'd capture the asshole alive as much as it burned him to do so. He just hoped Larrin was still alive as he needed that win. He needed her to be ok as it would somehow get Rachel to forgive him.

Tom normally would have liked to capture a few more scavengers to gain more insight and information on the Scavengers and their internal workings but he'd make do with the prisoners they had and Julian. He just hoped that Julian hadn't slipped the net, but he couldn't have as Larrin was still on the compound. After everything he couldn't see Julian abandoning Larrin. Tom and Tex reached the door that opened to the top floor. Tom signalled that he was taking lead to Tex, the man moved to the side and placed his hand on the door handle. Tom counted down with his fingers, when he reached one, he rose his rifle as Tex opened the door.

Tom progressed into the hallway with his rifle raised waiting for an attack. Tex and the other two men came up behind him. There were 5 rooms on the floor; all the doors were shut and the central staircase. Tom moved to the first and tried the handle, it wouldn't budge telling him it was locked. There was no quiet way of opening it and he knew if Julian was up here with Larrin, he'd hear them if they got the wrong door. Tom was tempted to put his ear to the door but wasn't game, he took a deep breath and decided it was time to just go for it.

He stepped back and covered the hallway while Marcus kicked the door in. A few seconds later, the man called out clear. They moved to the next room and were about to kick in the door when one of the doors at the other end opened. Out rolled two people in a fight and a gun dropped onto the carpet. It took only a moment to realise it was Larrin and Julian. Larrin kicked at him and managed to roll away from Julian and picked up the gun in her left hand.

"Larrin." Tom called out, but instead of her looking relieved; she pointed the weapon at him. Her eyes were bleary and dazed, she was deathly pale, sweat and blood stained her chambray shirt and the jogger pants she wore that were a size too big for her. She had a slice across her forehead like she'd met the sharp edge of a table, her hand shook as she struggled to hold the weapon as she didn't seem to have the strength and because her knuckles were scraped to hell from fighting. He looked to her hand that was in a cast and saw her fingers were swollen and red. The infection was spreading quickly from having the tracker in her, if it hadn't been a concern her current injuries had him concerned.

"Stay away all of you." She told them, as she swung the gun back to Julian who was getting up off the floor. Tom would have shot the man but Larrin was in the way and there was a chance she could get hurt but also see it as an attack on her.

"Larrin, I saved you. These men here are going to kill us both if you don't shoot them and we escape." Julian told Larrin.

"I don't know who any of you are or what your fight is but all I want is to get out of here." Larrin told them, negotiate her way out of it as she edged closer to the stairwell. Tom could see Julian was going to pounce on Larrin he was just waiting for her to focus on them.

"Captain, I suggest we let her go." Tex said in a low voice. Tom saw the panic as Larrin truly didn't know any of them and she was panicking which for a person holding a gun was never a good thing. Tom gave a nod and lowered his weapon to show he wasn't a threat to Larrin but his finger stayed on the trigger as he was prepared to shoot Julian the moment he stepped out of line. But Tex was right, they had the compound surrounded. They could catch her later but right now she stood between him and Julian.

"You can go," Tom told her, Larrin looked at him suspiciously. The gun still raised at his chest. Tom had to trust she wouldn't shoot him but he could see she was aiming for his chest, so he'd survive thanks to kevlar. "You're right our beef isn't with you. We're here to take that man into custody" he told her, Larrin gave a nod and barely took a step away from Julian when he pulled a knife and launched at her in an attempt to grab and use her as a human shield.

But Larrin caught his movement in her peripheral just as the other's did and she turned the gun on him. Tom rose his gun and shot Julian in the chest at the same time Larrin shot him but her aim was lousy as the bullet hit the wall behind Julian. She unlike Tom was shocked by her actions as she dropped the gun on the ground. Tom kicked the knife out of Julian's hand while Tex tried to grab for Larrin but she ran down the stairs like bat out of hell.

"Is he dead?" Tom asked Marcus as Tex was already chasing after Larrin. Marcus was down by Julian's side assessing the man's injuries and already applying first aid to the wounds in the hopes of preserving the man's life.

"Not yet." Marcus informed him, Tom nodded as he pulled his radio out and alerted the others on the ground about Larrin.

* * *

" _-Larrin is on the run, unarmed, light blur shirt, grey pants. Heading south exit, Tex in pursuit. Keep your eyes open and ready to lay down cover._ " The Captain ordered over the radio.

"How the hell are we going to see her in this mess?" Cruz shouted over the noise as they were pinned behind a car. There were a lot more of the bad guys than there were of the good guys. But it was starting to even out or so Miller liked to believe.

"There." Miller said as he saw Larrin come out of the building, she was running blindly into danger as they were in a standoff with the other side. He knew she was going to get cut down by the other side any second. He couldn't let that happen, confidence he rarely felt pumped through his system with adrenaline as he found the courage to do the insane. "I'm going for her, cover me." Miller said to Cruz, he didn't wait for an answer as he ran out from behind cover directly at Larrin. He ignored the impulse to run for safety and focused on getting to Larrin. He fired his rifle taking out two more badies before he shouldered the rifle and shouted at her.

"Larrin!" he called for the second time and that was when she saw him. She froze in the middle of open space between the two sides, she didn't looked scared; she looked relieved. He would have smiled but he noticed a man pop out of nowhere armed with a crossbow. "Get down!" he told her, he pulled his side arm free of it's holster. Larrin dropped to the ground and he fired taking the man out. He raced to Larrin and was about to pull her to her feet and get her to cover when he heard someone shout out 'grenade'. Instead, he covered her body with his own, he felt the heat of the explosion before it sounded.

Everything grew quiet, gunfire ceased, the only noises were the cracking of burning wood and the groaning of injured.

"Head count. Who's up?" Slattery called out.

"Cruz up." Cruz called as he ran over to Miller and Larrin.

Miller lifted himself up off of Larrin as people continued to call out they were ok but Miller focused on Larrin. She was laying on her belly face down in the dirt, but she wasn't moving. In fact she was barely breathing. "Larrin." Miller said as he turned her onto her back, he gently shook her but her response was just a pained groan. She tried to open her eyes but it seemed her body was too weak.

"Miller up, but we need a medic! Larrin is down!" Cruz shouted.

* * *

"Larrin is stable, they are transporting her back to St Louis now." Mike said to Tom as they stood over Julian's dead body. Tom knew he should be angry at himself for killing the man. But just couldn't muster it. He for some reason had a better understanding of Rachel and her actions towards Neils. He'd been so angry at her and part of him realised his anger in that moment hadn't been her 'playing judge and jury'. It had been selfishness and jealousy, he'd wanted to kill Neils himself but he'd told himself that it wasn't his right. That they had rules and laws to govern themselves which was true but now Tom had become a hypocrite.

He could have shot Julian in the shoulder, clipped an arm but he shot the man in the chest. He knew that Julian wouldn't survive and made that choice to kill him. He could think of a million reasons why they were all better off without Julian in the world. Just as Rachel did with Neils.

"How many did we lose?" Tom asked asking the question even though he didn't want to know the answer.

"Four, and seven with minor injuries. They're being transported back to St Louis as we speak. The fires have been put out and we're doing an inventory of the armoury. I think we got lucky this time." Mike said to him.

"Lucky." Tom said in disbelief, as he didn't feel it. The whole day had been a mess. They'd lost five people including Dr Clarke, Larrin hadn't recognised them which made him wonder how far she was gone mentally. Rachel was alive but she wasn't unscathed and Tom felt out of control for all of it. He almost wished for the days back in the Arctic and doing weapons testing. Living in ignorance to the pandemic and counting the days down until he could be at home with his children and Darien. But it was all gone and what laid in it's place was this mangled world of devastation and misery.

"We'll need a better plan going forward as we don't have the resources or man power to keep fighting like this and even if we do... We're creating a power vacuum that we can't fill or have the right to." Mike reminded him as there was no government in place to take control and all they needed was for one asshole with enough guns and influence to take over.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

* * *

"Home sweet home." Tex said to Miller as they turned down the street towards his home. They'd stay for the debrief and hand their weapons back into the armoury before heading home. Miller could have stayed out or gone to the hospital but he felt he should stop in and see his Mom. That was priority number one while number two was having a shower.

"Do you think she'll be ok?" Miller asked Tex referring to Larrin. They'd been talking about the last mission piecing it together just so they could digest what happened and move on. It helped given they couldn't tell Kat or his Mom what happened. Like he'd want them to know.

"She trusted you, which means she can't have forgotten everything." Tex said to him as Cruz had told pretty much everyone what a bad ass Miller was running into fire for Larrin. Miller didn't mind Cruz telling the story but he didn't like how Cruz tacked on the end that Miller was broke and needed money to take Larrin on a 'hot' date in celebration of him risking his life for her. So far he heard that $100 had been raised in donations for Miller and Larrin. It was embarrassing given he didn't want the charity or people in his personal business.

"She didn't recognise you." Miller pointed out. He didn't care that Larrin had forgotten him. He was more concerned about her forgetting her family and who she was. That trumped knowing him as he felt if they were meant to happen; it would happen naturally as it did before. Hence he wasn't going to dwell on it.

"Yeah, I'm disappointed about that as I am a distinctive guy but then there was a psycho killer and the Captain in the way. Those two tend to dominate a room." Tex said with a smile as he parked the car out the front of the house. "Look at the silver lining, if she can't remember anything then she can't remember killing those men or what Julian did to her. That trauma is wiped away, sure good memories are gone to but she can make new ones." Tex said to him.

"True." Miller said, as it was an upside that she didn't have to carry that with her.

"Remember, she picked you out of 200 better looking assholes that day in St Louis. So your odds are good it will happen again." Tex said as he clapped a hand on Miller's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"I'm not-" Miller started but Tex cut him off.

"I know but seriously $100 can buy a good steak dinner." Tex told him with a smile. "Come on let's go inside." he added as he got out of the car.

* * *

"You've been moved." Tom remarked as he found Rachel in a shared room. A bed over; Larrin laid unconscious; hooked up to IV lines, a vitals monitor and oxygen. Her broken arm in some kind of rigging to immobilise it. She had been cleaned up and changed into hospital gown. She was pale and bruised

"Yes, I didn't want to be alone and Wolf appreciates someone being close by who can look out for her while he steps out to get coffee and whatever else he needs to do." Rachel said to him.

"How long are you going to be in here for?" Tom asked looking to her, she looked better than she did earlier. She was still pale and looking drawn but she had a bit of colour in her cheeks, her hair had been washed and blow dried as it looked better managed than before. In fact it looked like it had been cut properly to even out the mess that Julian had made. Her eyes were more alert and she was no longer on oxygen.

"Another week." Rachel said off handedly though she had to wonder why he even cared. She didn't even know why he was here at all.

"After that?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Andrea offered me a room at her bungalow. I'm going to take it." Rachel said, she had appreciated everything Andrea had done for her in the last few hours. She felt she had a friend and it was nice to know she had a place to go to after here that wasn't going to be a full house like Tex's. Not that she had seen him but she knew she would and he'd offer her space but she wasn't ready to be surrounded by people. She needed to get back on her feet and slowly acclimate into the world. Tex's place from the sounds of it was too crowded and lively for her.

"I didn't know you two were friends." Tom remarked.

"There are many things you don't know about me." Rachel assured him.

"I learning that."

"She's going to be ok, how extensive her memory loss is; we won't know until she wakes up." Rachel told him.

"Julian's dead." Tom told Rachel hoping it would bring some ease to know she would be safe from him. He knew Wolf was glad the man was dead and Tom didn't blame him after what they'd found in the house.

"At least something went right today. The man is an animal." Rachel said relieved that Tom had let go of his morals to let the man die.

"Yes, he also kept trophies of his previous victims, passports, wallets etc. So we'll be able to add their names to the registry, so their families can find closure." Tom said not adding that they had found Doc's wallet with her driver's licence in it which had been placed on the floor before a wall that held a sick mural to the women that Julian had killed. Tom wished he could tell Doc her identity but he left that to Mike as this here with Rachel was his way of celebrating even if he had a lot of mending to do in regards to their relationship.

* * *

"How's Larrin?" Kat asked after she hugged her father. She was so relieved to see him alive that she didn't care that he was a little roughed up or stank. He was alive and that was all that matter to her. Though she did take a step back for the sake of her sense of smell.

"She's alive, there's still a lot to sort out." Tex told her as he smoothed his hands down the sides of her hair and pressed a kiss to her forehead before stepping away from her.

"Is she coming home?" Kat asked as she had been worried about Larrin just as much as she had for her father.

"Not tonight, but if she's up for visitors we'll see her tomorrow." Tex said to her.

"Ok, well dinner can wait half an hour." Kat told him.

"For what?" Tex asked with a frown.

"You to have a shower." Kat said with a smile, Tex laughed and pulled his shirt away from his chest and took a sniff. His nose scrunched in disgust as he was definitely not smelling like a garden of roses. He hadn't missed Halsey keeping his distance as he laid on the floor in the living room looking interested but wary as if afraid of breathing in the bad smell might kill him.

"Ok, I'm going." he told her as he moved in the direction of the downstairs bathroom

"I love you." Kat offered to smooth over the invisible insult of telling her father he stank.

"You could use one too." Barbara told her son as smiled at him. She was so relieved he was alive and unscathed. But she like Kat didn't appreciate the smell of two sweaty men in their home given they'd spent the better part of the day surrounded by men.

"Alright, I'll be back in 5." Miller said to his Mom.

"Make it 10 and remember to wash behind your ears." She told him.

"Mom, really?" he asked her, he was tempted to remind her he wasn't six yrs old and knew how to clean himself but kept it to himself. He wanted to have a good evening and it was nice to come home to people who cared for him. Plus he knew no matter how old he got; his mother would still see him as a kid with a superman cape on.

"Please and there's soap." Barbara informed him.

"I know how to have a shower." Miller told her as he raced up the stairs before she could embarrass him further.

Barbara laughed behind her hand as her son disappeared and turned to Kat. The girl she had quietly adopted as her own as she liked her. She had grit and wasn't shy of hard work. Something she'd shown today as they'd finished the nursery and gotten to work on the nursery furniture. It just needed a quick repaint and varnish. Then it and few other sundries and baby paraphernalia would call the nursery complete. Neither of them knew Kara very well but they figured given she liked Tex's house then following on it's theme wouldn't hurt.

"They reeked." Kat said as she moved to the dinner table setting the place settings.

"I know, and I thought spending all day in that house was like being in a men's locker room." Barbara said as she helped her. The dinner was set up in the kitchen ready to serve when the men were showered and smelling better.

"Agreed, but the house looks good." Kat said with a smile as she felt proud of how it was turning out. She had never really created something with her hands before. Sure on the farm she had chores but it was just a way of life much like washing dishes or clothes. There wasn't much to them and there was no real achievement in doing them. Renovating the house on the other hand was enlivening as she could imagine Lt Foster being happy in the house with her family. It was a good feeling to give back and working on the house helped her work through her own emotional junk.

"It does, we'll finish up the furniture tomorrow and I've called around to see what the go is for baby wares to see what we can horse trade and what will cost money. So hopefully we can finish that room perfectly while the rest we'll leave to the couple. Lord knows, they got enough on their plates." Barbara said with a smile as she didn't envy them.

She had had her grandfather and a couple of strong friends supporting her while majority of the town shunned her for being a single mother, they slowly came round with the times. It took years to be accepted again but a coffee machine and holding her head high helped earned respect from the townsfolk and raising a respectful young man like Eric helped too. She wouldn't change a thing but she could appreciate she had it easier staying in one location and having a career that worked around her son. Kara and her partner Danny had jobs that weren't so flexible and the way Kara spoke; being in the Navy was a big part of her identity and goals. It was not going to be easy for the woman to step back from her career for her baby but she would, at least Barbara, Tex and Kat would be next door to support her when Danny was deployed.

"Sounds good." Kat said with a smile.

* * *

"We found this at the house, I think it belongs to you." Mike said as he handed over the wallet to Doc. She took the wallet and looked at it. It was a long Mimco tan coloured wallet with cut out stars on it. She opened it, she took a deep breath as she hadn't expected to feel so emotional at seeing something that was hers. But it was as there was a photo of her with an older woman in the photo space that people normally used for their driver's licence. She had to guess it was her mother given the similar physical features.

She looked at the cards and pulled out a driver's licence, looked at the name. "Hannah St. Claire." She said reading the name on the licence. The photo was terrible but it was her, the address said she came from the West Coast.

"Nice to meet you Hannah." Mike said, Doc scrunched her nose at the name. It wasn't that she hated it but she had been banking on being a 'Zoe' or something a little more daring like 'Gabrielle'. That and being younger as it said she was 32. She couldn't help but smile as every assumption she made about herself was wrong.

"I still prefer Doc," she told him as she returned the driver's licence to it's place in the wallet and pulled out another ID for a hospital which stated she was a Doctor and her department of Emergency Medicine. "I spent months trying to put piece some sense out what I knew about myself. I feel I was wrong about it all." she said to him, even though it was her wallet she still felt like she was invading someone's personal property and frankly she just wanted to digest all the information before her in privacy.

"It's not all bad," Mike said in amusement as he couldn't help but sense her mix of joy and disappointment. As he could only imagine what life she cooked up for herself.

"No, it's not. Thank you for this." She said to him sincerely, she didn't know what she was supposed to feel as she was happy to finally have a name but with it came history and people that potentially missed her. Something she wasn't ready to address yet.

* * *

"Tex," Rachel said in surprise as the man appeared at the doorway with a canvas shopping bag in hand. He smiled at her in his usual charming manner that warmed her as it was great to see someone she considered a friend. He had a bruised cheek and cut above his eye but otherwise he looked healthy and whole.

"Hey Doc, I brought you dessert and some food for the ugly one over there." Tex said as he gestured to Wolf who was currently asleep in a chair by Larrin's bed. He stepped into the room and pulled out a Tupperware container with fork wrapped in a napkin and placed it on the bed near Rachel's hands before he moved over to where Wolf was and placed the bag by the man's feet.

"You didn't need to bring you anything." Rachel said as she picked up the container and opened it to find a custard tart. She smiled as she couldn't remember the last time she had a custard tart but also because it smelt delicious and was still warm.

"It'd be rude not to." Tex said as he pulled up a chair beside her bed and sat down with a relaxed sigh. He was reaching the end of his energy reserve for the day but didn't want to leave Rachel just yet given it would be rare for them to have a quiet moment in the future.

"It smells divine." She told him.

"Mrs Miller made it from scratch, she and Kat dominate the kitchen. It lucky Kat will have a good teacher in that department given I can barely cook toast." Tex said with a smile.

"Can't say I'm a culinary expert either." Rachel said as she carved out a piece of the custard tart and then used the fork to pick it up. She ate it and murmured her enjoyment as it was delicious. "This is delicious." she said.

"I'll let them know. So how are you?" Tex asked her.

"I'm ok." Rachel told him, it wasn't entirely a lie as every passing hour she did feel more and more like herself. She was still tired and sometimes she felt a little lost and depressed. But thankfully for some weird reason her clean and nicely cut hair helped ground her in the present than in the past. It also made her feel more human. It also helped when she reminded herself that she wasn't so alone in her troubles either.

"Sorry, I wasn't here sooner. I got wrapped up in the mess and Larrin needed me." Tex said to her.

"I'm glad someone was looking out for her." Rachel told him.

"Then you'll be proud of Miller." Tex said with a smile.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

* * *

"What are you eating?" Doc asked Wolf as she came into the room the next morning. Rachel was outside taking in the sunshine with Andrea, the two women were becoming thick as thieves. Leaving Wolf sitting sentry at his sister's side, at least he was eating and not grouching at anyone but it couldn't be comfortable with his injuries.

"I have no idea, it's some kind of sandwich. You want half?" Wolf asked as Tex had left him a bag of food that had a couple sandwiches and come kind of lentil salad. He'd already eaten the salad which was surprisingly tasty as it didn't look or smell like it would. Now he was chowing down on a pulled bbq pork sandwich that was 70% meat in sauce while the rest was lettuce, tomato and bread.

"Sure." Doc said as she pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. Wolf handed over the untouched half of sandwich to her with a napkin. "You know you can go home and have a shower, sleep in a bed. There's a whole team of people dedicated to the care of the people on this floor." Doc told him with a smile before she took a bite of the sandwich. She couldn't help but moan in joy as it tasted delicious even though it was stone cold.

"I'm good where I am." Wolf told her with a wry smile as she seemed to be enjoying the sandwich more than him.

"Ok, but it's not going to help your injuries." Doc told him before she took another bite of the sandwich and gave him a 'you'll be sorry later' type look.

"So I heard you have a name now? Like a real name not 'Doc'." Wolf said changing the topic as he'd run into Commander Slattery who told him that they didn't have to worry about Julian anymore. The man was dead, the only problem anyone had with that information was that he'd died too quickly beyond that the man wasn't being given another thought. It turned out that anyone who'd want to get revenge for Julian was dead or didn't exist. The few scavengers they did capture alive weren't saying much but they had more of a feeling it was a lack of knowledge that stopped them not loyalty.

Either way, Wolf was relieved it was over for Larrin. She could move on, well try to but how that would work out depended on how much she remembered and what he should tell her. Something he was struggling with as he felt she should know everything but also didn't want to laden her with the guilt she carried before especially if she couldn't remember. So he was waiting, which was a pain in the ass as the chairs were uncomfortable and he was still not in the best shape to be sitting around all day but he was going to. He would do it because he didn't want her to wake up alone or with someone she didn't remember. He knew if she didn't remember coming America, then she would be incredibly scared to wake up here alone in a foreign country even if it was America.

"Yeah, I also know how old I am, that I drink way too much coffee as I have a lot of those coffee loyalty cards, an expired gym pass, yoga membership and a condom that expired three years ago in my wallet. I had a very boring but very comfortable lifestyle given I own a MIMCO wallet and can afford a gym and a yoga membership. Your point?" Doc asked him, he couldn't help but sense that finding out her name wasn't the joyous life affirming experience one expected.

"You going to tell me what your name is?" Wolf asked in a light hearted manner.

"Nope, just call me Doc. It works as it turns out I am a doctor." Doc told him with a smile.

"Is your name Gertrude?" Wolf tried.

"Nope," Doc told him.

"Star." he offered.

"No." Doc replied before she took another bite of the sandwich.

"Chook." Wolf said with a grin. Doc threw him an incredulous look as it had to be his worst guess yet.

"Really?" Doc asked him incredulously as it had to be the strangest name he'd thrown out.

"Yeah, I knew a girl who's name was Chook. Not a nickname but her actual name." Wolf said as it was true, his best friend had married the woman so he knew it was legitimate given he'd signed as a witness on the marriage certificate.

"Interesting but that's not my name." Doc told him.

"Come on, what's wrong? I figured you'd be thrilled to know something about yourself." he said. Doc ate another bite of her sandwich to buy herself some time as she didn't know how to explain it. She had banked on never finding out and joking about it. There was a laziness in not having an identity, it meant she could pretend she didn't have any family and no life. That way there was no to really miss as she didn't have the memory of them, sure she knew she wasn't hatched but now she had a name and with that came responsibilities.

It meant searching out her family, if she had any alive then seeing the disappoint and grief as she wouldn't remember them, and not be the daughter or sibling they'd grown up with. Then she'd have to deal with them trying to 'fix' her or walk her through memory lane. It would be a strained relationship that she wasn't ready to engage into which was selfish of her but it was how she felt.

"I guess I was expecting something more exciting. Maybe to feel some sense of connection but I don't. It's strange." She offered as explanation.

"Maybe if you practice using the name then it won't feel so foreign to you. We could practice right now." Wolf offered, Doc couldn't help but smile at his persistence but she wasn't ready to hear her name again until she had more time to adjust to the information she had.

"Why do you want to know my name so badly?" She asked him out of curiosity.

"Because you know my name and it's only fair." Wolf said, he was half tempted to say 'because I want to know what name to call you when we're in bed.' but he knew now was not the time to be flirting and it was a little too sleazy to be saying at his little sister's bedside. So he kept things light and friendly.

"Well, suffer in your jocks cause I'm not telling you." Doc told him.

"I'm more of a briefs man." Wolf told Doc which made her laugh.

* * *

"So Kara's pretty tied up with the Scavenger business." Tex remarked as he pulled the car up in front of Danny and Kara's house.

"Ah yeah, usually I'd be tapped for the meeting but I'm not needed." Danny said feeling a little left out as he figured he'd be called in to help strategize the long term plans of taking down the Scavengers and installing people to help keep the peace and contacting the leaders of the 'safe zones' to take on larger territories and negotiate trade agreements for the long term future of America. He had a feeling they were going to use Michener as a figure head to pull the people together and have regional leaders to what end; Danny didn't know or really understand. Politics and country building was outside of his wheelhouse. But he knew how plan an op to take out enemy combatants and take on strongholds.

"Well, Lt Commander Burk pretty much has it all in hand." Tex said as he wasn't going to touch on Danny's bruised ego. Now they were back on the mainland it was only time before they all had to move on with their lives on in Danny's case to relearn their place in the command chain. On the ship, Danny's role had been vital but here in St Louis, the Captain and Commander had more personnel to work with who knew the lay of the land better than Danny and had more experience.

"Burk's big brother?" Danny asked as Kara hadn't really gone into details the last time they'd spoken. Though in her defense she'd been quite distracted with the mission specs and Larrin volunteering to be traded for Dr Scott. Either way, when he was kicked out the hospital Tex had come to pick him up not Kara. But Danny had to admit he was grateful it was Tex as he wasn't used to the crutches yet and he didn't want to accidently fall over and hurt Kara and their unborn child in the process. That and Tex had a better chance of saving him from face planting onto the ground.

"The very one, seems he and his people have been working on this for a while they just missed the man power and I guess confidence to strike. But who cares, we're on R&R. Everybody is doing well and you should see the house." Tex told Danny, gesturing to his and Kara's house. Familiar faces were going in and out of the place and construction noise filtered through the closed window of the car.

"I'm going to owe a lot of people." Danny said as he knew it had only been a day but he also knew how efficient the crew were when they needed to be.

"Yeah, a wedding invitation probably wouldn't hurt and chipping in on the food bill for the month wouldn't hurt either. Come on." Tex told him, he got out of the car and pulled the crutches out of the boot before he moved around to Danny's side and opened the door to help him out.

* * *

"There, that's good, all we need are some photos for that wall, some baby clothes and other sundries before we can declare this room as ready." Barbara said with a satisfied smile to Kat as they looked around the baby nursery. It was all set up, luckily the baby wouldn't be in for a few months as the room still reeked heavily vanish and paint fumes. But they'd managed what Kat felt the impossible as they'd traded in boat load of what she thought was crappy furniture to an op shop charity shop who in were more than happy to trade them a crib, change table, photos frames, and a tall boy.

They had looked at the furniture from the house and Barbara had decided it would be easier to see if they could trade it in which pleased Kat to no end as she really didn't think 70's baby furniture was all that nice to look at. She didn't even think a new coat of paint would fix it. Luckily, Barbara was a real negotiator because what they got in return for their trade was way better.

She smiled as she looked at the bright teal iron crib to the wall, with the white change table and tall boy. They looked great even if they had a few nicks and scratches, they added to Miller's 'Date' money donated by the crew, the crib was rocking a new mattress and sheets. They'd washed the long lace curtains and put them back up which diffused the harsh sun into the room.

It looked sparse but well on it's way to being a proper nursery. Kate really loved how quickly it came together and that she had a hand in it all. She just wished they had a more exciting colour than buttercream to work with but it did make the room feel warm and welcoming and suited with the furniture. But they were just using left over paints from Their house next door and from the house they were in.

"I like it." Kat said.

"You did very well, I'm sure they will love it." Barbara said to her.

"It's a shame Larrin can't be here to see all of this or even remember it." Kat said, she didn't know why but she felt a sense of grief when she thought of Larrin. She had found a friend but it seemed like she had lost her even though she was still alive.

"I'm sure she'll love it no matter what how extensive her memory loss it." Barbara told her.

"I wish I was that lucky." Kat said with a sigh.

"I don't think she's any better or worse off than the rest of us. It might be nice to forget but it would also be hard having those gaps in your memory, it's not just the bad that goes but also the good memories which is a shame." Barbara said sagely.

* * *

"That money was meant for you dude." Cruz told Miller as they spent half their day in Danny's house the other half running around picking up building supplies and food. They were supposed to be having the day off but Miller's Mom was a slave driver but at least she provided meals.

"Well, I didn't give it all to my Mom. I saved some of it." Miller said as Cruz had given him a envelope of cash meant for him to woo Larrin and take her on a date. He's given majority of it to his Mom to help get the nursery for Kara and Danny's baby ready. As Miller had no idea where he and Larrin would be at but he felt like taking her out to dinner would be fairly awkward after all the events that had passed and if she didn't remember him.

"For Vegemite. Vhat the hell is this?" Cruz asked as he opened the jar, he took a sniff and scrunched his nose in disgust."Oh it smells like ass." Cruz informed him.

"You'd know given you're pretty intimate with your own." Miller quipped, Cruz blinked for a moment as he hadn't expected Miller to make such a comeback and then laughed, even Miller laughed as he stole the jar back and capped the lid on it.

"Tell me you're not going to give that to her." Cruz said to him, they'd spent over an hour trying to source iconic Australian food. Not that they had much luck but apparently in the post pandemic world Vegemite was safe from starving hoards of people while everything was game. Something that made no sense to Miller as he had the mind set that beggars could not be choosers. When hungry you eat whatever you can get your hands on even if it didn't look palatable as it was better to live than die for being a finicky eater. Apparently the American populace didn't share that train of thought.

"I am, Wolf said she loves this stuff." Miller said, when Larrin was awake again and ready for visitors; he was going to get croissants from one of the bakeries in town. Butter from Tex and take it to the hospital as nice get better soon present. He figured she'd like food over flowers and especially something that would be a taste of home for her. Something familiar to help ease the overwhelming sense of unknown or so he hoped it would be seen as that.

"Wolf could be lying." Cruz warned him, Miller smiled as he appreciated Cruz's input as he was better with women than him but Miller was going with his instincts on this one.

"I doubt it, but I guess I'll find out in the near future." Miller said with a shrug.

* * *

"This is amazing." Danny said as he leaned on his crutches to stand in the living room. Gone was the scary 70's house and in it's place this beautiful empty spaces, hardwood floors, the wallpaper was gone and in it's place cream walls and white ceilings, skirting boards and architraves. He didn't know why but he thought it would take months not days or day but it seemed like nearly all of the downstairs was complete.

"It's not finished." Tex told him as if reading Danny's mind.

"The floorboards need another layer of varnish, the kitchen is staying as it except for the wallpaper. It's gone but they need to be painted. The downstairs bathroom is just being painted as we're not stripping out the tiling. It's too much money and we're scrounging from where we can and trading what we can."

"This is amazing, it's more than I expected." Danny told him feeling incredibly grateful and humbled at the same time. As this was how he imagined it could be. It was definitely enough for him to propose to Kara.

"We dedicated the most time to upstairs nursery. You'll have to wait until your leg is healed to see it but it's nearly ready go. By the time the baby is here it won't reek of fumes which is good."

"Thank you." Danny told him.

"Got a lot more people to thank than me." Tex told him.

"I know but thank for making it happen so quickly." Danny said with a smile as he looked around the room again. It was nearly like Tex's place except they hadn't knocked down all the walls. They'd put in a glass partition door that folded up and the kitchen was still obscured by a wall which gave a nice separation of the room. He hadn't seen the rest of the downstairs but right now this was enough to marvel at for the next five minutes. He pictured the furniture he and Kara had and the children they'd have which would not respect it by crawling all over the 'nice' fabric with their grubby feet and hands.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

* * *

"Why can't I finish my breakfast. you know I only have a 10 minutes before I have to get to work." Kara told him.

"Humour me." Danny said with a wry smile as Kara was not being very pliable this morning as she was more focused on eating and getting back to duty at the command centre.

"I'm taking my porridge with me." Kara said with a slight pout as she'd pick up her bowl and spoon before following Danny slowly out of the house. "Why are we going to our death trap of a house?" she asked as it didn't take a genius to know where Danny was taking her.

She knew the crew had been working on her house as they weren't subtle in asking her how she felt about the colour 'white' or her thoughts on floorboard finishes. She had to admit she was immensely grateful and happy someone else was saving her the stress and heart ache of fixing up the house as she couldn't face it. Which was amusing to her given she could handle the CIC in the middle of a conflict scenario but wondering about the engineering of taking down walls and light fixtures made her break a sweat.

"Because I wanted you to see the progress." He said.

"It couldn't wait until I finished my shift tonight?" she asked him, she didn't want to be rude but being pregnant was taking it's toll with the stress and long hours. She honestly didn't want to spoil the surprise of how much work the crew had put in for her and Danny.

"No, come on." Danny told her, even on crutches his legs still ate up the space as he was at the doorway before her but then she was slightly distracted by her breakfast. Eating and walking was hazardous but breakfast was a must for her.

"Ok, I'm coming." She told him and he smiled as his dirty mind took that phrase a very different way. She walked up the steps and ate another spoonful of porridge and fruit before she put the spoon into the bowl and held it one hand and opened the other door. She hadn't stepped foot into the house past that day and even then she'd hadn't really walked into the house past the hallway to see the man sized hole Miller and Larrin created. So the view that greeted her held her starstruck.

"Wow." She murmured feeling a little breathless as the interior was perfect. Sure it wasn't finished but the bones of it and what had been done so far was perfection to her eyes.

It was now a livable home to her. She hadn't even seen past the hallway but she already knew it was going to be perfect. She stepped into the house and slowly took in the creams and white colour scheme that contrasted in a lovely fashion with the floorboards or at least what she could see as drop sheets were covering them as protection from grubby shoes and whatever else. The more they stepped into the house the more she felt like she had a lot of thank you notes and beer to buy but it was worth it as this was a 'home'. This was a place she could comfortably settle into and raise her and Danny's baby.

"It's perfect." she said with a brilliant smile to Danny who was right behind her.

"There's still a lot of work and we'll have to live with a few of the original parts of the house until we have the resources and more importantly the money-" Danny started but Kara cut him off.

"I don't care, this is 'home'," Kara told him, as she felt overwhelmed with joy.

"There's a nursery upstairs for the baby, I can't get up there yet but you should check it out. I'm told it's the only room that's completely finished bar a few items that need to be bought." Danny said with a smile as he was so relieved that Kara was happy with the house. Not that he didn't expect her not to be happy but he was happy that she envisioned the same things as he did.

"Are you sure?" she asked him as she was tempted to see the baby's room, but felt bad for leaving him downstairs and seeing it before him.

"Yeah, go on up. Just don't stay too long as the fumes are strong." he told her, Kara held out her bowl to him which Danny took from her. Before he could even say another word Kara was already gone. He smiled as he carefully placed the bowl on the floor out of the way and then moved to the bottom of the steps. He pulled the ring he'd been saving for Kara out and waited for Kara's return.

* * *

"Dad, you cannot go over there. You'll ruin the moment." Kat told Tex as she yanked on his shirt to pull him back into his seat at the dining table. She'd forgotten how much of a meddler he could be when he set his mind to it. She had to admit she was amused and a little mortified because if she didn't tell him to keep to himself he'd probably have his nose against the front window with a goofy grin on his face watching Kara and Danny.

"But we'll be witnesses, I love seeing happy ending." He told her with a smile, he was trying to convince them all to go over because what's the fun in watching a proposal if you didn't have others to share it with.

"Well you're missing this one. We'll be at their wedding. So don't stick your nose in their moment." Kat told him in a mockingly unimpressed manner, she wondered why she felt like she was the parent in this conversation.

"When did you get so bossy?" He asked her as he settled into his chair as he could tell Kat's sentiments were shared by the others around the table.

"last year." Kat informed him with a snarky smile.

"I don't like it, we could just take a tiny peek through the windows. To see if Danny hasn't mucked it up." Tex told her, joking this time as he had no drive to get up and find out how Danny was doing. If anything he figured Kara would ask Danny to marry him before the man got the stones to ask her himself.

"Like a Peeping Tom? Don't be so creepy." Kat said making a face as she knew he was joking now but it was still taking things a little too far.

"I agree with Kat, they'll rush over here first to share the news. So calm your horses." Barbara said as she came over to the table with a fresh cup of tea.

"What's your say Miller?" Tex asked.

"I'm staying out of it." Miller told him as he focused on his muesli and not getting into trouble.

"Good, I also made a lunch for Wolf again though it would be nice if he came home to shower and get changed as his poor sister will probably keel over from the stench of him when she wakes up." Barbara commented.

"I'll go pester him and make sure he comes home." Tex offered with a smile, he like Barbara but she was a little controlling for his tastes but he let it slide as she was probably used to getting her way. Plus that trait of hers was the reason the house next door was coming together so quickly thanks to her knowing what style she wanted the house to have and Andrea wrangling the labour to make it happen.

"Good, when are you going back to work?" Barbara asked him, just proving she was a woman who liked to know where everyone was going and doing. Control freak which in some ways explained why Miller was so sheltered in certain aspects of life. But in saying that Miller was a good man, so she was better at parenting than Tex felt he was. But then he was an absentee father.

"Got a couple more days off and then I'm back to the grind. Speaking of the grind, you start school soon too. Do you have everything?" Tex asked Kat, reminding himself he was definitely going to up his game. Luckily for him he just had to raise a near 15 yr old, she already had manners and toilet training down. So that just left Tex to make sure she was fed, sheltered and supported when she asked for help and present for when she was too afraid or prideful to ask for help.

"Ah I think so. I won't really know what I need until after my first day." Kat said, she couldn't say she felt excited to go to school. In fact she was dreading it but she had to go back. She kind of wished she could talk to Kara or Larrin as they were closer to her age than Barbara, they were also more like older sisters she could talk to. She also felt Larrin understood the isolation she felt. But now that was gone as Larrin probably didn't remember her.

"Ok, if you're missing anything we'll get in the next couple of days." Tex told her, she gave a closed lip smile and nodded as she appreciated the offer but more than anything she liked that he thought of her needs and making sure she was prepared for going back to school.

* * *

Kara stood in the nursery with the biggest grin on her face and tears of joy in her eyes as she loved the baby nursery. She had to admit she loved the thought and effort the most when it came to the room by their friends. The bright teal iron crib with it's white mattress with tiny little grey anchors on it. The colours were all gender neutral and adorable. If anything it really set home that she was having a baby, it was all becoming very real.

Sure she had the baby bump and all the symptoms of pregnancy but the concept of a baby coming into their lives was still that; a theoretical concept as she had no real grounding or experience on how it would be. She'd held babies before but never once did she ever think she'd be having one of her own this soon in her life. It really set home how much of her life was going change, the goals she once had for herself were going to be pushed back. It wasn't a bad thing, it was just a little bittersweet but then she was getting something she always wanted. A home, a family; she wasn't going to baulk at his timing but accept the good that life has given her.

She ran her hands across the railing of the crib smiling softly, she could just picture the tiny baby that looked like a pudgy mini version of Danny with dark brown hair. She knew her genetics would win out in the eyebrow and hair department while he or she would have Danny's eyes and chin and face shape. But who knew, it could end up the opposite way and she didn't mind as it was their child. That thought warmed her with a mix sense of joy, anticipation and contentment.

"It looks pretty good in here." Danny said drawing Kara out of her thoughts, she swung out to see him standing in the doorway, he leaned heavily on the frame looking exhausted from the exertion of climbing the stairs.

"You said you couldn't come up." She said half chastising him already as she wanted him to look after himself.

"I changed my mind, though I'll pay for it later. Totally worth it." Danny said as he looked at her smile and looked around the room itself. There was a strong odour of varnish and paint fumes but he ignored it for the moment as the window was open letting some air circulate. Plus he figured they wouldn't be up here long enough for it to be a health issue.

"Danny." Kara said in that way that said she wasn't impressed with him but entirely upset. Like when he'd sneak kisses from her or give her 'that smile' which tended to lead to a whole lot of fun which was why they had a baby on the way now.

"The crew did a really good job." Danny said as Kara moved to him and placed her hands on his hips and smiled at him.

"They did and are doing a good job. I don't know how I'll make it up to them all." Kara said as she deeply appreciated the love the crew had shown them in renovating the parts of the house they had. They had a home on the Nathan James and the crew now were giving them a home on the mainland.

"I was thinking a BBQ, double celebration of thank you." Danny told her as he pushed off the wall and straightened up as he refused the memory to be impinged by his injury.

"And?" Kara asked as he didn't say what the other half of the celebration was. That was until Danny pulled a diamond ring out of his pocket and held it out to her.

"Our Engagement." He told her with a grin, Kara bit her bottom lip looking at the ring. She was going to say 'Yes' because she deeply loved him but she couldn't help but hold out just a bit.

"I'm not sure what you're asking Lieutenant." Kara said with a grin, she didn't need him to get down on one knee or anything special but she would like to be asked, she watched a light blush graced Danny's cheeks. His grin grew into a quiet smile as he grew serious and gave her a look that stole her breath away as he showed her everything he felt with his eyes.

"You are the strongest, most kind and beautiful woman I know. You make me laugh with your wicked sense of humour, you hold me up when I don't think I can stand on my own. You and our child are everything to me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you both. I want to make a home, I want to make future for us where our family is happy, cared for and loved. So would you do me the honour of marrying me?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said nodding her head, she let him slide the ring on her finger before she cupped his face with her hands and kissed him deeply.

* * *

"I'm so happy for them. Pass on my congratulations." Rachel said to Tex.

"I will." Tex assured her, he'd managed to get Wolf to go home just so he could shower and get a couple hours rest. It wasn't like Larrin's condition had changed. She was still sleeping and while she had some more colour in her cheeks; Doc assured him that she wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon but if she did they'd call him.

"Now you just gotta find a hairbrush, suit and a date." Andrea told Tex.

"You want to be my date?" Tex asked Andrea putting her on the spot but smiling nonetheless. He knew it was a waste of time asking Rachel and to do so would only confuse the friendship they had. Andrea on the other hand was a free agent and liked to set the boundaries, so he knew he didn't have to worry about overstepping himself.

"Sure, but don't think I'm going to have sex with you or wear a dress." Andrea told him.

"I don't know what I'm more disappointed about you not putting out for this." Tex gestured to his body "Or not wearing a dress." Tex joked, Andrea pegged a Portuguese custard tart at him which he skillfully caught with his mouth and ate in one go.

"Such a dog." Andrea said as she shook her head at him as Rachel tried hard not to laugh too much as it pained her chest wound.

"Are we still friends?" Tex asked her.

"Yes, for now." Andrea told him after she took a deep breath to calm her own nerves. She knew he was asking as a friend but she still couldn't help but feel a little nervous at just being asked out. But then she was used to being invisible to men when it came to be 'sexual creature' but then she didn't want anyone on the ship having sexual thoughts of her.

"So Doc, you want to be our third wheel?" Tex asked Rachel.

"I think I'll go stag and see how I fair." Rachel joked as she wasn't even sure she'd be invited but if she was she'd go and enjoy the festivities. It wasn't like she'd be without friends as she had Andrea and Tex there. She would like to celebrate something good happening especially something that had absolutely nothing to do with her work at all. She had decided that she would take a sabbatical on top of her recovery time.

A decision she'd only come to that morning, but it felt right she take time out for herself. She also wanted to see how Larrin was, maybe help with her recovery and if her intelligence and education were intact then Rachel could mentor her, a job that she felt would be more rewarding at the moment than chasing this virus. If she were honest Milowsky was more than qualified to continue her work and improve on it as he was a vaccine maker while she was a virus hunter. Right now she was done globe trotting, she wanted to put down roots and real connections with the people she had left in her life. Something she learned from her hallucinations among other things.

"Look out, we have a live one." Tex said snapping Rachel out of her thoughts, she looked over to see Larrin try to place a hand to her forehead only to have muscle weakness get the better of her. Instead of her hand pressing down to cover her eyes; her arm conked out and ended up slapping herself in the face. She made a half groan, half whining noise like she was in pain and not wanting to be awake at all.

"I'll grab a doctor." Andrea said as she left the room as Tex got up to calm Larrin who looked about three seconds away from a panic attack.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

* * *

Larrin half groaned and half whined as her head was pounding like the time she drank way too much of the expensive tequila at Wolf's 18th party but with the memory blank she had when she drank Smirnoff vodka of the time she and Merrick got drinks after he came back from being deployed. She wondered is she still had her boots on like that time as she'd gone straight to bed fully dressed with her boots still on. It was the only time she'd slept with her shoes on.

She tried to open her eyes but they were way too heavy and the slight sliver of vision she got told her the room was way to bright for her poor eyes. All she could do was question how drunk had she been last night and why her brothers would even let her drink so much. She also had to wonder what the hell they'd been up to as she hurt all over, she really hoped they hadn't done anything stupid again like steal a street sign. Mum had flipped her lid when she found the stop sign in the living room or the dirt they'd tracked into the house because of it. Thief extraordinaires the Taylor siblings were not and those signs were a real bitch to pull out of the ground.

She took a moment to garner what little strength she had and slowly open her eyes. Her head went a little woozy as it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to lighting. But when her vision cleared and the pain of bright lighting faded to a hum in behind her eyeballs to match the tempo of her pounding headache; panic and disorientation set in.

"What-" she stopped as her dry throat cut out her speech but it was clear she was not in her bedroom but a hospital. She slowly took in the room, the IV line and when she tried to get up her whole body screamed at her to not move. Something that was not a good sign at all, none of this was good. Not good at all. She normally wasn't one to panic but she was now as she was in the hospital, in pain and had no memory of how she got there.

"Hey,"

Larrin looked to the source and saw a man leaning over the bed; looking down at her. She frowned as he didn't look like a doctor. Doctors wore lab coats and button down dress shirts and usually used a hair brush. This man looked like a wild bushman who'd managed to pull on pants, a Henley top and a jacket instead of the usual uniform of stubby short shorts and bonds singlet.

"My name is Tex. Just take a slow and easy breath in and then out for me ok?" he asked her, she looked at him with wide eyes as he didn't sound Australian. He had Southwestern Accent with a slight drawl that made her think of Texas given he said his name was 'Tex'. She didn't know why but he looked familiar to her but she couldn't figure out where. Memory lapses were not something that happened to her. "Breathe. In through the nose and out" he told her with an amused smile, as he made the motions with his hands emphasised his own breathing as if to show her how it was done. Larrin had no clue who this man was but did as he asked because it seemed like the right thing to do given the situation.

As she breathed in slowly and shakily exhaling, the man named Tex found a switch as the upper part of the bed started the raise up. She felt slightly nauseated by the movement but felt better at being more upright than before. It also made breathing a lot easier to do, and she had a better view of the room.

"That's better, right?" Tex asked her, she gave a nod as her mouth and throat were too dry to speak and because she was sure she was hallucinating as the woman in the bed next to hers looked exactly like Dr Rachel Scott. This had to be bad, really bad which made her want to cry as she worried about where her brothers were but before she could even digest that thought three women rushed into the room. One was dressed as a nurse in scrubs while the other wore US Navy t-shirt and Digi BDUs under a lab coat. Two out of the three women also looked familiar and it was giving Larrin a bad sense of Deja Vu. It was one thing to have it for one person but now she was topping to three people now. She looked at the woman who'd stayed back, she was 5'6 redhead in US Navy BDUs.

"Hey, over here." The doctor said gently getting Larrin's attention away from the woman who stayed back. Tex had stepped back to give them space as the nurse was checking over her IV and vitals monitor. It was then Larrin got a good look at her arm, the one that refused to move.

"Oh my god, what happened to me?" Larrin croaked as she saw the bandage and the splints, she also didn't miss the small cuts and bruises over her arms and hands. Her knuckles were bruised like she'd been in a fight.

"It's a long story which we'll get to. My name is Dr -" the Doctor started but Larrin cut her off.

"Are my brothers ok? Why do you all sound American?" Larrin asked as she wanted to know her family was ok before she was being given a run down of her situation. The nurse handed Larrin a cup with a straw and told her to sip slowly. She did as told grateful for the water.

"Can you tell me your name?" Doctor asked ignoring Larrin's questions as she was in full assessment mode. Larrin would have been annoyed but she knew the Doctor had to be looking for something, probably signs of a concussion. Something Larrin would tell her to tick 'yes' box on as her head was pounding and feeling incredibly hard to string coherent thoughts together.

"It's-" Larrin paused for a moment as took her a second to remember her own name. "Ah Larrin Taylor, why is that struggle?" She asked more herself than the others around her as she tried hard to remember what happened but nothing came to her.

"Long story, I still need to ask you a few more questions and then I'll tell you everything I know ok?" the doctor said to her.

"Ok." Larrin said as she realised she was not going to win this battle of will with the Doctor as she was determined to get answers from Larrin.

"Can you tell me the date?" the Doctor asked. Larrin stopped at the question as she'd expected to be asked for her birthday. But now that she thought about it, she was drawing more blanks.

"No," Larrin said feeling incredibly unsettled as she couldn't think of the last thing that happened to her.

"What's the last thing you remember?" the Doctor asked.

"I don't know." Larrin answered with a huff of impatience to cover the fact that she was scared. She also really wanted to know how they all knew her and why she couldn't remember how she'd been injured or ended up in the hospital.

"It's ok." The Doctor assured her but Larrin didn't feel comforted by the sentiment at all as she couldn't help but feel afraid of what she wasn't being told. Her mind racing a million miles an hour to fill in the blanks and nothing she could come up with was good.

* * *

"Doc, how is she?" Wolf said as he raced into the hospital floor where Larrin was being kept. Doc was at the nurses station finishing up some notes and talking to a nurse when she stopped and turned to him.

"She's still awake, but as predicted she's lost a pretty good chunk of her memory. I gave her some pain meds for the arm and her headache so she's a little out of it. But you can talk to her." Doc assured him.

"How much time did she lose?" Wolf asked her.

"Can't say for certain but I filled in the blanks for her." Doc said, she knew she had overstepped her bounds as a Doctor. She was ready for Wolf to be pissed at her but they had answers Larrin needed and Doc felt the young woman deserved the truth. It hadn't been easy to talk to Larrin about it but she felt since she lacked a strong personal connection to Larrin. There was an emotional disconnect that helped both of them as Doc wasn't hurt when Larrin lashed out.

"On what? Everything?" Wolf asked for clarification.

"Yes, now I know you'll be pissed at me but you have no idea what it's like to wake up and have no memory. Her condition is much worse than clear cut amnesia as her memory is fragmented. She remembers faces but doesn't know why they are familiar. She thought that you and your brothers were dead or seriously injured after a night of drinking. So I told her as much as I knew which was that she travelled here to the US to visit you. I told her about the pandemic that hit the world. She met up with a man named Julian Heldt who was a turned out to be a serial killer. I told her that she escaped him once but he followed her here-"

"You're right, I am pissed. I didn't want her knowing any of that! You don't see the guilt she carried over that and killing those men in self defence." Wolf told Doc in an angry whisper. He wanted to spare his sister the burden she had been carrying before. She had tried to leave it behind her and now Doc had told her everything Wolf had not wanted her to know and things he wanted to tell Larrin himself.

"What you don't understand is that she doesn't remember it happening. Just like I don't, so there is a sense of detachment like it happened to someone else not her. It's just a story to her. A really crazy story." Doc argued to make him see sense, so that he could understand how to bridge the gaps with Larrin.

"Maybe it is for you, but Larrin isn't like that and you had no right to tell her what you did." Wolf told her. Doc took a step back and gave nod conceding to him as she didn't want to fight with him. She also knew he wouldn't understand until he spoke with Larrin and saw for himself that she wasn't so tortured as she was before.

"You're right, and I'm not sorry. She deserved the truth. Trust me, she was more upset about your family and wanting to see you than what happened the past five months. Go see for yourself." Doc told him as she gestured for him to go to Larrin and Rachel's room. Wolf didn't say another word as he walked away from her.

He knew in some small way she was right, but he couldn't help but feel deeply concerned for Larrin. He was afraid of what was left in her, how he was going to help her. Doc talking to Larrin without him, took away his sense of control on the situation. He didn't like that. He stopped at the doorway to the room and saw Larrin sitting up in bed staring off into space. Dr Scott and Tex weren't in the room but then he'd seen them in the courtyard getting some fresh air and sunshine. Tex had said that Larrin had felt overloaded by everything and needed space. It was why he'd been so panicked but upset by her being alone in the room.

"Larrin." he said, his sister turned and face him. She looked tired and a little spaced out, her hair was a bedraggled mess that in combination with her injuries made her look a little wild and vulnerable. "How you feeling?" he asked her as he came into the room.

"I have a broken arm, three broken ribs, a concussion. I'm not only in a hospital but in a completely other country with no memory of how I got here. How do you think I feel?" she asked in a calm manner but he could see she was angry, upset and slightly panicked.

"A little sore?" Wolf offered with a sympathetic smile trying to lighten the mood with some levity.

"They've been telling me some pretty tall tales and I'm hallucinating." Larrin said in a low voice to him.

"What are you seeing? Gumby?" he asked, that made her smile as they used to watch Gumby as kids and he figured if anything would wig him out it would be seeing that bright green character jumping around the room.

"No, I swear I saw Dr Rachel Scott in the bed over from me." she told him in a low voice as she could have sworn she saw one of her idols in the next bed over before the nurse drew the curtain closed between them. But she was still in disbelief and she couldn't really trust her memory as it was filled with huge blanks. Sure the Doc had talked with her filling in what she could but she struggled to really grasp some of the information. It was that she couldn't understand her reasons and frankly she just couldn't imagine herself doing anything like what the Doctor had said.

"She's real." Wolf assured her.

"I'm sharing a hospital room with the Dr Rachel Scott-" Larrin started but Wolf cut her off as he felt like she was going to repeat Dr Scott's resume to him again. They'd done this conversation.

"Yes, she was shot and then kidnapped by some bad people. You traded yourself for her release and other reasons." Wolf said deciding to go with the truth as he didn't want to confuse her and Doc was right. Larrin deserved the truth as it would save her a lot of heartache and he wouldn't have to lie to her.

"Yeah they told me. It's all a pretty crazy story." Larrin said as she rubbed a hand across her forehead, not sure how to feel about it all. She had so many questions but didn't know where to start.

"It happened." Wolf told her.

"Even the killing four guys?" Larrin asked as she felt pretty conflicted about knowing she'd killed people even if it was in self defense. The problem she had was they she was understood she should feel remorseful or guilty but she just felt nothing. She had no memory of it. It was hard to summon guilt for something she couldn't see herself doing let alone not have even a fragment of a memory. She did believe the tracker in the arm and trading herself to the bad guy but only because she had the broken arm and the incision in her arm. She couldn't refute it when there was evidence to the fact and people to corroborate it. She couldn't imagine herself being in some elaborate ruse as she was just not that important for this much effort if it wasn't real. That and she had shivers down her spine at the mention of the man's name which was just weird.

"It was in self defense, you were just trying to survive." Wolf told her, he didn't want to see her like she had been before she left. That state of mind scared him but all he saw was his normal emotionally stable if somewhat apathetic sister. Yes, she looked distressed but it wasn't the same as it was more about the memory blanks than about what she'd been told. He could tell as she looked like she was straining her brain to remember anything.

"I know, I just don't remember all of it. I remember being in the forest alone, cold and afraid but then I felt the same when Dad made us do those camping expeditions. I think my brain is just filling in the blanks to make sense of things as that memory could be from an episode of Nikita or Stargate." She said thoughtfully, 'camping expeditions' was what they called their escape and survival training.

"Don't worry about it." Wolf said as he could see it was exhausting her.

"Doc says that the memories might come back if I have the right triggers but she said not to get my hopes up. I remember shooting a guy but I was told by some dude called Tex that I hit the wall." Larrin told him with a wry grin, she really struggled to see herself as violent but she had hoped she'd be a little more proficient at it.

"We live with Tex." Wolf offered breaking Larrin out of her thoughts.

"We do?" she asked thought she didn't feel surprised but that.

"Yeah, him and five other people." Wolf said still counting Kara and Danny into the equation as they hadn't moved next door yet.

"Wow, what about Australia? Have you spoken to Mum and the others?" she asked him, Wolf shook his head.

"The pandemic destroyed the infrastructure for international communications. But the American Military are working on it." he told her,

"How long will that take?" Larrin asked him.

"I don't know." Wolf said. they lapsed into silence as Wolf didn't want to explain that it was a low priority to the Americans to call their Allies when they were trying to just survive. Of course it would broached at a later time when they could manufacture the cure and had to spread it to eradicate the virus but for now it wasn't important. Even he felt bitter about it as he and Larrin like many other displaced citizens of other countries were given no reassurances. Instead they'd been hunted like animals and subjugated for the entertainment of criminals. It wasn't fair that after everything that had passed not some kind of compensation was given to them like a free plane ride home. But that begged the question of if they had a home to go to.

"You know, I can't remember why I even came here." Larrin said breaking the silence. She rubbed her hand down her face and winced as it didn't hurt persay but it wasn't comforting as the gesture should have felt to her.

"You got kicked out of your PhD program." Wolf told her,

"What!?" Larrin demanded as her jaw dropped in shock. She felt like someone had dropped a bombshell on her and she thought partial amnesia and waking up in a different country was a shock.

"That's what you told me." Wolf said as he couldn't believe out of everything she'd been told she was freaking out over being kicked out of her PhD.

"No, no, no, no." Larrin shaking her head in disbelief as Wolf had to be lying. Of all the things he had to tell her, it was that she'd been kicked out her Phd program. Just the thought of hours and hours of studying and pretending to be friends with the competitive assholes.

"Yep," Wolf said, Larrin let out a string of curse words that made him feel a little uncomfortable. "Calm down." he told her as Larrin only cursed when she really drunk or in serious pain.

"Calm down?" she asked him incredulously. "That's my whole life, PhD, then medical school-"

"Yeah, I know the ten year plan you've had since you were six but we'll work it out." Wolf assured her.

"Work out what? It's a post apocalyptic world where I have no access to my money- where is my passport? What did I do that got me kicked out?" Larrin asked him as she couldn't remember any of that though in fairness she could barely remember a lot of things. It was like her memory was a gelatinous blob of indiscriminate memories. Nothing stuck out and anything that did come to mind was so generic it was hard to tell if her brain imagined it up to cope with the memory loss or if it was real.

"Does it really matter?" Wolf asked with an incredulous smile as he was still reeling that she was more upset about her PhD than having spent the last few months in the forest escaping murderers.

"Yes!" Larrin said practically shouting at him which made him want to laugh but he could see she was upset.

"I can't remember." Wolf told her honestly.

"Try!" She demanded.


	54. Chapter 54

_A/N: Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and also review this story. It means a lot to me to receive the feedback and I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 54

* * *

"How do you think it's going up there?" Rachel asked Tex as they sat at a picnic table outside in the sunshine, in a park area that was attached to the hospital with tea and coffee. She couldn't help but wonder how things were going with Larrin. She couldn't imagine being in her position. She knew it would be horrible, to not be able to trust her mind. She wished she could do something to help but she still needed help herself. It made her feel pretty useless to everyone.

"I think, the girl needs a break but I'm sure Wolf has unravelled any calm the Doc has put into her." Tex said to her before he took a sip of his coffee.

"Why do you say that?" Rachel asked with a frown.

"Think about, whatever the Doc or I didn't know, Wolf is going to tell. I doubt it will be easy learning she can't go home, there's contact from her family or a way to contact them. She's stuck and alone-"

"Wolf is here. She has friends-"

"He's Navy, there's the instinctual knowledge that he's going to leave her and we're all strangers to her. So right now, she's probably feeling overwhelmed and alone because she hasn't got anyone to anchor to." Tex said thoughtfully.

"I didn't think of that way." Rachel said as she understood what he was saying. She knew what it was like to feel alone and adrift in the world even when there was family around. But in Larrin's case she did have many people who would go above and beyond to support her. She just needed to know it was there and right now she was just grasping with what happened to her.

"What about yourself? How are you going?" Tex asked Rachel changing the topic but also because he sensed a dark change in Rachel's demeanour and knew when one got shot. It made them delve into places they didn't want to go, thoughts that were best left locked away.

"I'm ok." Rachel assured him.

"I think that is bullsh-winkle." Tex said covering the curse word as a three year old girl ran past them with a balloon; laughing in delight as she was having fun. They both smiled at Tex's near disaster of cursing in front of a child and the envy that the child had no concept of the world around her. All she knew was running with a balloon a sunny day was fun. It made her one of the lucky ones as she would grow up people talking about the pandemic but no memory of it to be haunted with.

"Maybe but I think I'm just ready to settle down on my own. I'm definitely over being shot." Rachel said to him with a roll of her eyes as she wished she could heal herself with a snap of her fingers as she felt awful. The drugs took away the pain but it didn't deal with the emotional roller coaster she was currently riding. For most part she felt she was dealing with it well but there were moment where memories floated back, the fear and panic she felt when she's been a captive. It didn't help that she'd been held captive in a hospital and was now staying in a hospital to recover. Even with the differences, she just wasn't comfortable.

"Heard you might be moving in with Andrea." Tex said, Rachel gave a soft smile glad he didn't look disappointed by not taking his offer.

"Yes, her place sounds like a safe haven." Rachel said a sigh as she couldn't wait to go there. The hospital and staff were great but she wanted to recover in solitude and frankly a more home like atmosphere that the hospital didn't afford her. It was why she couldn't wait to leave. She just had one more day before the doctors kicked her out.

"It is a nice two bedroom bungalow on the river. Something I think would've been great for Kat and I but then there was Larrin and two clicked. I didn't want to pull them apart given Kat doesn't have a lot of friends here. Plus, I knew the boys would want to go off and find Miller's mom. It just seemed to work and I like that Kat has more than just me to support her. We all need family." Tex said with a shrug.

"You're a good father." Rachel told him.

"I'm working on it." Tex said as he rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed at the compliment as he didn't feel like he was deserving of compliments just yet but did like that Rachel held a high opinion of him. He was about say something more on the matter but stopped as he saw Tom coming across the grass towards them. "Hey Commodore, what brings you here?" Tex asked when Tom neared them.

"Just came to visit the sailors and check in on Dr Scott and Larrin." Tom said as he looked to them, he'd come from the command centre was dressed in his BDU's with Nathan James cap on to block the sunlight from his eyes. He had decided after hearing Larrin was awake to see how she was faring and to check in with Rachel. He wanted to gage how much damage he had to repair between them. So far, she just looked surprised to see him and Tex looked amused and somewhat resigned which was intriguing to him but he let it go.

"Well, since you're here. I might skedaddle; I promised Kat I'd take her shopping for school supplies." Tex said as he rose from his side of the table and left Rachel to Tom's care. "If you don't mind." he said to Rachel to make sure she didn't feel as though she was abandoned.

"No, go and thank you for the tea." Rachel told him.

"Anytime Doc." Tex said warmly, he gave Tom a nod and Rachel watched him walk away. There was something so entirely easy about being with Tex that made her wish that she was attracted to him as more than a friend.

"So how are you?" Tom asked breaking Rachel out of her thoughts. She straightened her back and gave small shrug.

"I'm ok, given the circumstances." Rachel told him, she didn't know why but it still hurt her to look at him. The pain and anger still fresh of how his choices and actions had turned into a nightmare. She knew he hadn't meant for any of it to happen but she didn't appreciate the high handed side of him that made him feel entitled to take over her life.

"I'm sorry." Tom said to her sincerely.

"For what?" Rachel asked, she knew it was being bitchy but she felt she was due more than a couple words no matter how sincere he sounded.

"Would you like a written list?" Tom asked her incredulously as most people took his apology as they were given.

"I'm just wondering if you mean it or if you're just saying it so you can use me later down the track." Rachel said honestly, Tom reared back at her words as she had been fairly blunt.

"I deserve that." Tom said, accepting he deserved her anger and bluntness for what happened. "But I am sorry for taking over your life and not asking you what you wanted. I'm sorry for removing your choices in the matter and then being an asshole about it after the fact." he added.

"Only after the fact?" Rachel asked, they both knew she was inferring that he was only apologizing for everything going pear-shaped. That if everything had gone smoothly and she was in witness protection safe then there wouldn't have been an apology. Which if he were honest then he wouldn't have apologized as he did what he felt to be the right course of action. Witness protection would have kept her safe and out of his life. He didn't want to admit it but Witness Protection also gave him an out for having to acknowledge how he felt for her.

"Geez, you don't make this easy." Tom told her with a wry smile as he rubbed the back of his neck. It had been a long time since anyone put him in his place like Rachel was right now.

"Why should I? You never have been easy with me." Rachel pointed out.

"Good point, so can we just start anew here and put the past behind us." Tom suggested hopefully. Rachel looked at him for the longest moment wondering if it was really worth her time being angry at him. She was still hurt but frankly she just felt resigned to always being on the opposite of everything with Tom.

"Yes, we can as this is bloody exhausting." Rachel said, deciding to make peace and be settled. If she carried her anger with her then she'd never be able to move forward and it was just exhausting. Tom gave a closed lip smile and gave nod.

"May I escort you back to your room?" Tom asked her.

"In a moment, I just want to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine for a little longer." Rachel told him.

* * *

"So, I'll be here for a few more days until the wound on my arm has healed sufficiently for me to have a cast put on. Then I'll be released." Larrin told him, they'd lapsed into silence when Wolf didn't have any answers that she liked. As far as she could tell her whole life and goals were decimated either by her own actions or the Pandemic. She and Wolf were family but she knew he was going to abandon her to keep on with the US Navy. It was clear they had adopted him from what he'd told her.

They couldn't get home, she'd ended up in the hospital because the US government had decided to abandon her and other displaced citizens to wilds. She couldn't help but feel depressed and incredibly isolated at what she knew. Her future just felt so incredibly bleak to her, what made it worse was that she just felt slammed with all the information. She was no longer a PhD student, she was stuck in America, it was basically post apocalypse and she'd survived a serial killer, killed a few people herself, survived on her own and oh yeah; there was no way of getting home. No way of knowing if the rest of her family was alive. The not knowing pained her the most because if they weren't alive, she didn't know where she would go. She might be an adult but she was used to a strong support system behind her.

"Don't worry, I'll be out of your room by then and I'll wash the sheets." Wolf said pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Larrin said wryly as bed sheets were the least of her problems.

"It's going to be ok." Wolf told her, seeing that Larrin was getting stuck in her head and focusing only on the bleakness of the situation than the positives. It was what he'd been trying to avoid by not telling her the truth about everything. Or at least keeping the flow of information slow and easily digestible.

"Yeah, ah listen. I'm going to get some sleep. So you can go." Larrin said as she rubbed her face with her hand wanting to be alone.

"I only got here an hour ago." Wolf said with a frown.

"I know but I'm bushed. Do you mind that we pick this up later?" Larrin asked him.

"Ok, I'll be by later this afternoon." he told her, he didn't want to leave but he knew Larrin wanted to be alone to digest everything he'd told her and what Doc had told her. He just wished she would let him stay and help her through it all. So he did as she asked and rose from his seat and left the room.

Once Wolf was gone, Larrin carefully sank down on the bed. Her head was swimming, she felt overwhelmed, washed out and nauseous from it all. She had quit her PhD and travelled to America. She'd ended up a victim of violence not once but twice to a man she could barely remember. It all felt like a bad joke and all she wanted was to see her mother and have her comfort her. But she wasn't here, she was possibly dead back in Australia. The only person Larrin believed could possibly say the right things to her was half a world away with no way of contacting her.

* * *

Kat blew out a breath as she needed to get out of the house. She loved everyone but months of isolation on a farm with just Court and her Mom made it hard for her to get used to being around people again. That and she was exhausted of tearing and put together a house. Sure, she had her runs with Halsey but she just needed to relax. It made her think of Larrin as she made things fun and they also would just crash on the lounge and just chat where Ms Miller was goal orientated and just wanted to get things done. She never really stopped moving as there was always something to be done.

"I'm home." Tex called out, Kat raced down the stairs and smiled as her Dad closed the door behind him.

"Great, how was Larrin and Dr Scott?" she asked him, she really wanted to visit Larrin but was afraid she wouldn't be remember and just be seen as stranger or an annoying teenager.

"Good, Larrin woke up." Tex told her.

"Really? Did she forget everything?" Kat asked him, it was a moment of truth to whether she still had a friend in Larrin. Part of their friendship was based on their shared experiences during the Pandemic. They understood what it was like to be on the mainland and how crazy it got. Something Ms Miller understood too but Kat didn't feel as free opening up to her as she did Larrin.

"No, her memories a little like swiss cheese but she's going to be ok. We just need to give her a couple days to get her head straight." Tex said, his smile was reassuring and comforting Kat.

"Ok." she said with a nod deciding it was best to stay positive than assume the worst.

"So you got that list of things you need?" Tex asked her.

"I lied," Kat confessed, Tex frowned not sure what to make of it. "I got everything I can before they give us a list at school. But I just said I needed more stuff because I need to get away and I thought we could go somewhere just us and hang out?" she asked with a hopeful tone. Tex pursed his lips as if giving it thought which made her worry that he might be pissed at her for lying but then he smiled and jutted a thumb towards the door.

"Ok, let's go grab some street food and maybe a walk along the river?" he offered.

* * *

"Hello," Rachel said as she came back into the room. She felt like she should announce her and Tom's presence. It was probably a good thing as she could see Larrin had been crying and felt her heart strings pull at the young woman's pain as she empathised completely. She knew what it was like to wake up completely disorientated by how much her world had changed.

"Hi," Larrin said, she cleared her throat and pushed up in bed before she wiped her face. She gave them a weak smile before looking incredibly subdue.

"Miss Taylor, it's good to see you awake. I'm Commander Tom Chandler." Tom said to her, he helped Rachel to her bed, not abandoning her.

"I assume I'm supposed to know you?" Larrin said, Tom could see she had no recollection of who he was and wondered if he should be relieved or disappointed. But he chose the former not because it got him off the hook for what he did in making her trade herself for Rachel.

"It's refreshing to not be recognised." Tom said to her with a kind smile.

"Hmm, I'll take your word for it." Larrin replied, he could see she was struggling with her memory loss and grieving. He knew because he recognised that same expression in the mirror every morning when he shaved. It was mix of resignation, pain and depression.

"Larrin, I know you've suffered memory loss but I need you know that I'm deeply sorry for my part in it. I should've kept you out of it, but I was compromised and not thinking clearly. If there is anything I can do, you need only ask." Tom told her, he pulled out an old business of his, he pulled the pen from the chart and used it to jot down his mobile number as cell towers were working again. He held it out to Larrin.

"Ok, thank you." Larrin said taking the card with her uninjured hand and looked at it. She didn't seem to know what to make of it.

"What you did was brave and showed real strength, but what happened to you wasn't fair." Tom told her sincerely.

"I'm told you killed him." Larrin said referring to Julian. She stared at the card in a defunct manner.

"I did." Tom told her.

"Well, I'd say we're square." Larrin replied in a pragmatic manner, she went to hand back the card not wanting to indebted to someone or have someone indebted to her. But Tom held out a hand in a 'stop' gesture.

"Keep it." Tom told her.

"Ok," Larrin said not sure what she was going to do with his card or what possible use it could be.

"Well, I'll let you both get your rest. Take care." Tom said as he made a quick exit leaving them.

"He's not used to apologizing." Rachel said to Larrin.

"I don't know why people keep apologizing, it's as if they think it will help but it doesn't." Larrin said as she placed Tom's card on the bedside table and looked to Rachel, she idolized this woman and now through a series of ugly events they were roommates. At least until she was discharged.

"I know how you feel in that respect, you know I remember meeting you at a ball. It was a few hours before I was shot." Rachel told her, she felt maybe if she shared her experiences with Larrin then it would help Larrin gain perspective and help her not feel so alone.

"I wish I could remember, I bet I embarrassed myself." Larrin said a light blush gracing her cheeks as she could only wonder how much of a fan girl she had acted around Rachel. But Rachel just smiled warmly which was reassuring.

"No, you were fine. A little over excited but you made a good impression. I even offered you a job I was so impressed with you. Your knowledge and education is a rare commodity." Rachel said.

"I doubt it is now given my memory loss." Larrin said as she had felt a zing of excitement knowing she had gotten a job offer from Rachel. Sure Paleomicrobiology wasn't the field of science that she was interested in but to work with Rachel, a woman of her caliber and intelligence would be amazing not to mention look amazing on her resume.

"Doc, lost all of her memory but she retains her education and training. I think it will be the same for you as those types of information are stored differently in the brain as you know." Rachel told her.

"Yeah, I know. It's just how reliable can I be if I can only remember patches of what's happened the past few months?" Larrin asked her.

"My job offer still stands if you're interested though the duties have changed somewhat. I know you need time to recover and find your family. I need time to recover myself but I'm going to staying here in St Louis and opening a lab to continue my research and I'll need an assistant. If you're interested, we can discuss it further." Rachel told her.

"Seriously?" Larrin asked as she wasn't sure what to say. No, that wasn't true. She wanted to say 'Yes' but there was a lot of things holding her back and Rachel seemed to sense it.

"Yes, I know you were looking into bio-engineering but you also wanted to get your medical license. It's just something to think on but now you and even I should just focus on resting and getting out of here." Rachel told her with a kind smile.

"Sounds like a plan but what are you researching?" Larrin asked her out of curiosity.

"The virus and my work on the vaccine and cure. I didn't have much of a chance to really look into it in a more in depth manner. I'd like to know that there aren't any lingering side effects or long term effects I haven't foreseen." Rachel offered, it was the hard part about her work. The time for reflection and while she knew it was safe and had cured thousands. It didn't mean it was perfect, there was always a side effect, some hidden bad to balance out the good.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

* * *

"You going to eat that pickle." Tex said to Kat, they were sitting on a park bench eating a lunch. Well, Kat was still eating while Tex had demolished his turkey sandwich and chips fairly quickly while Kat took her time. It was great to be with his daughter away from the noise and distraction of the house. The park wasn't very active with people making it more peaceful.

"Yep," Kat said as she took another bite of her sandwich. She was eating slow to drag it out as she wanted to just stay in the park for a while longer and just enjoy the peacefulness of it. But also just sitting with her Dad even if he was trying to steal her food.

"What about those chips?" Tex asked her.

"Yes, maybe you should go get more food." Kat told him with an amused look.

"Nah I'm good. Just wanted make sure you weren't struggling." Tex told her.

"I'm trying this thing called 'Chewing' apparently it's better for digestion." Kat deadpanned as her father inhaled his food like someone might steal it out of his hands. Something she'd gotten into the habit of herself but now was breaking it.

"Sounds time consuming." Tex replied wryly as he stole one of her chips and shoved it in his mouth so fast there was no way it could be returned to Kat.

"Hey!" Kat complained in good humour as she didn't really care about him stealing her food but she definitely cared about him thinking he could get away with it.

"I'll buy you another one next time." Tex promised before ate another chip from her bag.

* * *

"How's Larrin?" Miller asked when Wolf came through the door. He was cleaning up after lunch as his Mom and the others had returned to Danny and Kara's house to continue the renovations. It seemed like it was decided that they going to finish the house or at least get it to a point where Danny and Kara could do minimal work to fix it up. He figured it had more to do with his Mom twisting the volunteers arms into finishing than generosity driving the project but Danny had helped putting in the proverbial screws for his Mom to twist. The whole 'Kara is pregnant and I have a bum leg' played a lot in the excuses while Miller didn't mind helping for Kara's sake. He really wanted to tell Danny to take a hike with his excuse. He got shot in the leg but it didn't make him an invalid for life.

Kara was doing the heavy lifting in having a baby, that was something that took up a lot of time and energy. Her body was going to bent out of shape for longer than Danny's leg. But at least the banks were to open tomorrow which meant everyone would be paid and Danny could start paying for supplies, more food and beer to pay for the labor.

"She's doing ok, it'll be a couple more days before she can come home." Wolf said as he went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle water and uncapped it.

"That's good." Miller said even though he could tell Wolf wasn't happy.

"Speaking of home, Larrin talked about wanting to get back to Australia." Wolf half lied but he felt he should prepare Miller for the eventuality as he couldn't see Larrin staying in America. She talked about them finding their family to see if anyone survived and he couldn't see her leaving Australia after that given it was their home.

"Ah yeah, I'd expect as much." Miller said trying to be cool about it, he knew as much as he liked Larrin; she probably didn't remember him and they weren't even a couple where he could ask her to stay but even that would be unfair as America wasn't her home. Plus he was Navy, so he was going to be deployed. There was also the fact that if she did remember him, there wasn't anything really stopping them from having a long distance relationship if it was an option but he was getting ahead of himself.

"I just didn't want you to get your hopes up or anything as I don't think she'd stay here. Plus there is an issue about whether your government would allow it and her memory's a little spotty." Wolf said trying to soften the blow but not doing a very good job of it.

"I get what you're saying." Miller said, it was Wolf's way of saying that whatever he was hoping to share with Larrin or had shared was lost to her. Thus she'd not be interested in him.

"Good, I like you Miller. I just don't want you to get hurt." Wolf said to him.

"Mind if I see her tomorrow?" Miller asked as he thought of what he'd gotten for her. He figured he'd still like to see her and maybe they could be friends. More than anything he just wanted to see she was ok for himself.

"Sure, you can come with this afternoon." Wolf offered.

"I'd prefer to go tomorrow when she's had a bit more time to acclimate." Miller said, he wasn't going to share that he'd prefer he go alone as he knew Wolf would have an opinion. One that Miller didn't want to hear at the moment.

"Ok, no worries then." Wolf said.

* * *

"So when is the ultrasound booked for?" Danny asked Kara as they laid in their bed, late that night.

"Next week." Kara told Danny as she rested her head on her pillow and looked to him. She couldn't help but feel light and happy as everything was starting to balance out for them.

"I don't want to wait. I want us to get married as soon as possible. We could get go to the Old Courthouse and get the judge to marry us." Danny said as he looked to her, he'd give anything to turn on his side but his injured leg wouldn't allow the movement. That if he tried, he'd probably have to take the proper allotment of pain killers than the one tablet he'd reluctantly downed so he could just sit at the dinner table with their friends.

"Danny, we have to have a wedding. The crew have worked really hard to give us a home. I think we need to give them something." Kara said to him.

"A wedding isn't about them." Danny told her, Kara gave a tired sigh as it was obvious she and Danny had different ideas about what a wedding represented.

"A wedding is our way of showing our commitment to one another but it's also a great opportunity to say thank you to our friends who supported us and gone above and beyond for us. It doesn't have to be fancy but now we have access to our money we could do a large barbecue in the park." She said, it was an idea that had been rolling around her head ever since he asked her to marry him. Sure she had lots of other thoughts and fantasies but she felt a casual wedding in the park where all their friends and their family could come out for the celebration was a nice way of bringing everyone together but also to say thanks.

"You want to flip burgers on your wedding day." Danny said sceptically, Kara chuckled and shook her at him as he really didn't get what she was saying.

"No, I want to pay some people to provide barbecue foods and a simple wedding cake. We could have it in the park where we landed, invite the crew and anyone who has family in town-"

"That's over 200 people." Danny said cutting her off.

"I think we can put our money together and afford it given what they've done for us. Provide soft drinks, juice, water and add a BYO notice for alcohol on the invitation but no gifts, just their presence as witnesses. It's not like anyone is going to get drunk in the middle of day with the Captain or the XO there. But I think they'd appreciate a good meal and a reason to celebrate family and love." Kara said pushing her agenda as it was what she wanted. St Louis weather was fairly warm for the time of year and the weather had been good. So there was no reason they couldn't have a beautiful outdoor wedding followed by a barbecue reception.

"True, I could call around tomorrow and find out the costs for food and permits for the park." Danny told her, acquiescing to her wishes as he couldn't see the downfall except the possible burn to their savings. But then he knew that people of the Nathan James were family and they deserved a fun celebration given the past few days.

"Thank you." Kara said as she leaned in and kissed him.

* * *

The following morning,

"Hello?" Miller called out as he knocked on the door to Larrin and Dr Scott's room. Larrin who'd been laying in bed looking deep in thought looked to him. He couldn't help but smile to see she was awake and even though she was injured, she looked well.

"Hi, if you're looking for Dr Scott. She's gone for a walk." Larrin told him, she couldn't help but smile as she actually remembered him. Ok, correction, she knew he was the guy who saved her when she'd ran straight into a gun battle like a twit. But she also remembered him from before, at least she was sure she knew him. She had memories of them at a dinner table, at a park shaking hands, there was a ball which she wore a dress that she couldn't imagine herself wearing. Then she remembered them pulling lizards off a dark hallway. That memory she was pretty sure was a dream as it was too weird. But she couldn't help the way he made her want to just smile, it was just annoying that remember his name.

"Actually, I'm here to see you." he said which pleased Larrin to no end as he didn't look at her with sympathy like everyone else did.

"Me?" Larrin asked as she pushed herself up in the bed as bed she could. She couldn't help but feel a little self conscious and embarrassed as she probably looked a nightmare with her hair in brushed and tangled. She kind of wished she'd taken better note of her appearance but then having people look at her with such sorry eyes and what she knew made personal grooming sit low on the list of priorities.

"Yeah, I wanted to see how you were doing." he said as he moved to her bedside.

"I'm ok, broken arm, Swiss cheese memory but I do remember you." She told him with relief as it was nice to remember someone from the time that was so patchy and nearly have complete memories.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I just can't remember your name." she confessed with a chagrin, he didn't look upset in the slightest at her lapse in memory. But her cheeks burned in embarrassment as she still couldn't used to the memory loss given she tended to remember everything.

"Eric Miller." He said as he pulled over a tray table with wheels usually reserved for meal time over to her bed and placed a canvas bag on it. "I was going to bring you flowers but I figured you'd like this better." he said to her as he pushed the tray table in front of her.

"You didn't have to do that." Larrin told him, now curious as to what he'd gotten for her. She wasn't expecting people to get her anything, she highly doubted there was a hallmark card to cover her problems.

"I wanted to." Miller assured her, he watched a little nervous as he wondered what Larrin remembered of him and how she would take the 'gifts' he'd brought for her. She tried to reach in with one hand to pull out the first item but didn't have the leverage to pull it out of the bag. "Maybe I should do get it out for you." he offered.

"Please, I'd hate to give the doctors more work." Larrin said, Miller chuckle as he pulled out a medium sized plush doll of Snoopy. "Oh my god! Snoopy! I must have told you." Larrin added, she greedily snatched the plush toy from him and wrapped her good arm around the toy. He couldn't help but feel like he was going to have a very successful second yet now first meeting with Larrin.

"No, I just like Snoopy." Miller told her, Larrin narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him wondering whether to take him at his word. "I swear, it was him or Big Bird. I figured you can use the company or use him as a pillow for your arm." he offered, it was his excuse for not getting flowers. He just like the permanency of the stuffed doll over the flowers as flowers died which he felt was incredibly depressing.

"You probably would have won with either." Larrin admitted to him as she was a sucker for soft toys even though she was supposed to have 'outgrown' them. Snoopy was one of her childhood favorites.

"Good to know, I also brought food; a couple apples, croissants," he pulled out the apples placing them on the table, followed by the paper bag with croissants. "Butter and Vegemite." he finished, he watched as her eyes went wide at the Vegemite jar.

"How in the world did you get Vegemite in America?" she asked in wonder, he chuckled as she looked like he just proved to her that Santa and the Easter Bunny existed.

"Imported food store. Apparently in an apocalypse this stuff will be the last thing to be eaten." Miller told her, it was a real ego boost for him to know that all his hard work in finding the things on the table and just showing up were all worthwhile. It was worthwhile as Larrin was smiling and appreciative of his gift, not that he expected anything less but it was good to see it.

"I don't see why people would be against it. It's full of good stuff. Can we have some?" Larrin asked in a hopeful tone as the hospital food wasn't all that impressive and frankly a taste of home and good memories was what she needed right now.

"Sure, though you'll have to tell me how much of this stuff to put on the croissant." Miller said as he gestured to the Vegemite jar. He didn't want to ruin a croissant by over buttering or putting way too much Vegemite on it.

* * *

"Doc," Wolf said, he liked how Doc jumped at his appearance at her side. She brushed a stray strand of red hair behind her ear and gave him an annoyed look for creeping up on her. She hated how the some of the soldiers could make nearly no sound as they walked. Some were so practiced it was second nature but still she hated being snuck up on. Especially when she had pulled an all nighter and was fried from too much coffee.

"Wolf, how are you on this fine morning?" she asked him as she focused on her work as she writing notes into a patient's chart. She also used it as a distraction to calm her pounding heart as Wolf scared the crap out of her.

"Ok, I wanted apologise for being pissed at you yesterday." Wolf said to her, she rose an eyebrow half tempted to tell him that he should be apologizing for scaring her two seconds ago but let it slide as it was rare for people to say 'sorry' to her.

"Meh, I deserved it and frankly you're not the first person to get angry at me or the last." Doc said dismissively as she finished her chart notes.

"Still, I'm sorry. So how is Larrin?" Wolf asked as he smiled at her, she looked a little frazzled and tired which made him wonder if she had gotten any sleep since the last time they'd seen one another.

"Why don't you go see for yourself." Doc asked as she handed the chart over to the nurse's station giving the nurse a smile as she took it away.

"Miller is visiting her, he doesn't need me hanging around." Wolf said, Doc turned to Wolf and wore an amused expression.

"Really? No big brother over-protectiveness?" Doc asked him, quite surprised he wasn't going to be hovering around the room threatening to break legs or make suitors 'disappear'.

"Have you meet Miller?" Wolf asked her.

"Briefly." Doc told him, which was true. Miller wasn't much in the looks department in her opinion but he was polite and friendly enough, she certainly wasn't going judge him further given everyone had a type. If Larrin was into Redheads then that was her thing.

"Well, trust me he's fairly harmless in comparison to other guys on the ship." Wolf told her.

"So you want them together?" Doc asked him.

"They have had time alone and they spent it pulling lizard statues off a wall and placing them all over the house like a joke instead of better things." Wolf said with a wry smile. He knew if it was Burk or Danny they would have at least tried to make a move, hell Danny knocked up Kara in less than four months of knowing her. Burk might not be a rule breaker while on the ship but who knew what he was like on solid ground without frat regs getting in the way.

"better things." Doc repeated in a skeptical tone as it sounded weird for sure but also like fun to play a prank.

"You want me to show you better things?" Wolf asked her with a salacious smile that could melt the knickers off a nun. Doc was slightly dazed by it for a moment before she shook her head. She really needed to get some food and sleep as she could see herself saying 'yes' and not entirely because she needed or wanted a refresher in 'better things' but because it could possibly save her some walking.

"Do I look that easy?" Doc asked him.

"No, you look hungry." he said, his tone rich with double entrendre. Doc pursed her lips to hide her smile.

"Yeah, I need a hot meal and bed, preferably alone as I need sleep not better things." she told him.

"Well, you want to go grab a burger? I know a good place. I have a car." Wolf drawled in a tempting manner to her.

"Ok, but you're buying as I have no money." Doc told him.


	56. Chapter 56

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews and your patience. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 56

* * *

"I would have brought one of the lizards but it's a pretty creepy gift." Miller told her as they had spoken about the time they pulled all the lizard statues off the wall. He didn't think she'd remember and he didn't want to be that creepy guy who brought a scary looking statue as a gift. Snoopy doll was totally winning him ego points as she hadn't stopped hugging it since he pulled it out the bag like it were a prized possession.

"And you were afraid I wouldn't remember?" she asked before she ate another piece of croissant that was dressed in butter and vegemite. Another winner, he tried it but didn't see how it was delicious. It was ok, but not moan worthy as Larrin felt it was. Damn if that delicious sound didn't twist him in knots just a little.

"That too." Miller said with a smile as he and Larrin had been talking for half an hour. She remembered more than he expected which was really reassuring to him as he didn't like the thought of her losing her memories. She could remember the vague details but not much of the conversations but he had to admit he felt special for being one of the few things she remembered.

"So I'm a little lost as to what we are. Are we friends or something more?" Larrin asked him. It was a question that she had been dying to ask. She really wanted to know if the kiss they shared was real or some manufactured dream. She watched as Miller blushed lightly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"We're friends," he said answering truthfully, he saw a flicker of disappointment in her features even though he hadn't finished answering. "But, I did ask you out before you left to go save Dr Scott." he finished.

"I said 'Yes' right?" Larrin asked, she really wished she could turn off her vitals monitor as it was betraying her by telling him every nervous flutter of her heart.

"Yeah, you did." he said, he liked how she looked relieved at the fact.

"So when are we going to go out?" Larrin asked with a small smile.

"When you're released from the hospital." Miller answered.

"Where are we going to go?" Larrin asked a little shyly as most of the guys she dated tended to just say 'let's go have coffee' which was incredibly ambiguous as to whether they were friends or if the guy was interested.

"There's a park with food trucks, where apparently you can get really good food and it's got a view. The weather has been good, I figure fresh air, sunshine and food is the way to go. What do you think?" he asked her.

"Sounds perfect." Larrin answered with a smile.

* * *

"Would you like me to buy you two a hotel room?" Wolf asked Doc moaned in pleasure like she had never had anything taste so good in her life.

"This is amazing." Doc said as she gave another moan of pleasure as the delicious flavors rolling in her mouth. Everything about the burger was perfect. She'd been living on MRE's and whatever was killed from the forest minus the trimmings of bread and salad. There was also no milkshakes, all she needed now were some oreos and her day would be a complete success. But for now she was going to enjoy her burger and caramel milkshake.

"It's a burger." Wolf said, wishing he'd never brought her out for food as he was jealous of the food. He couldn't believe how low he'd sunk to be jealous of bread, cheese, meat, salad and ketchup but he was. It was only because he wanted to be the one making her smile and moan in pleasure.

"You ok? you haven't touched your food." Doc said after she swallowed her bite of food. She was in heaven right now. The only thing she could think would make it better was if she did have a hotel room to eat the burger in bed. Crumbs be damned, she'd have eaten in bed and dozed off.

"I'm kind of hungry for something else." Wolf told her.

"That is not on the table." Doc told him, even though a blush graced her cheeks as she was now thinking burgers, bed and Wolf. It was a weird mix in her brain but she wasn't thinking about sex. Ok, she was but it was last in the order of activities as she'd love to eat the burger, got to bed with him wrapped around her and then wake up to sex. The idea of just sleeping in a proper bed and waking up to a friendly face had it's attractions. But she was going to deny herself as she wasn't going to be seen as easy.

"It could be." Wolf teased.

"I'm not into public places." Doc informed him.

"Doesn't have to be this table." Wolf said in a low voice that woke up Doc's lay parts and her imagination as his eyes held so much promise. A guy like him, she had to assume he had a lot of sexual experience and given his confidence could back up any claims.

"You're really intent on having sex. How long has it been for you?" Doc asked mockingly.

"That has nothing to do with it." Wolf said with a smile not perturbed in the least as he was liking the chemistry brewing between them. He could tell she was into it as she hadn't thrown the burger in his face and walked off. She hadn't even said 'no' which was an added bonus. So he just had to figure out what was holding her back.

"That long?" She said, she gave a playful smile as she made it sound like he hadn't slept with anyone in years. When in fact it was just months.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Wolf asked her, tongue in cheek as he was interested in her but was holding back because he had a lot on his plate. So he was happy to flirt with her given he knew it was empty.

"Right here in this burger. I might order a second one." She replied in a tongue and cheek manner which frustrated and attracted Wolf at the same time.

"Tell me you're not the slightest bit interested in the idea of it." he told her.

"It?" She asked mockingly innocent before she took a sip of her milkshake.

"You want me to describe an evening with me?" he asked her, he leaned forward like he was going to tell her a secret but was just waiting for her to say she wanted to hear it.

"Would this evening be in the house with six other people and a dog?" Doc asked him, burger forgotten as she looked at him. She couldn't help but see how he was going to play it out.

"Where have you been sleeping?" he asked her.

"In the on-call room at the hospital which unlike Grey's anatomy would like you to believe is not a hot spot for sex." Doc assured him before she took another bite of her burger.

"Then we'd definitely have to get a hotel room." Wolf said, realising that living in Tex's house did have it's downfall given Doc apparently didn't have her own place or BOQ given to her as a part of being medical staff at the Air Force base. But even so the fantasy was fun to toy with.

"What? the Best Western or Formula one?" she asked with an amused smile.

"Hey, I was thinking Hilton with room service, do not disturb signs and proper lighting. Good views, not that we'd need them given there's only one view I'm interested in." Wolf told her as he looked her over, Doc couldn't help but blush under his heated gaze as they were definitely entering dangerous territory. But then she remember that he was just messing with her.

"Oh, you're good." Doc told him.

"So?" he asked seeing how far she'd go.

"So, I'm going to finish this burger and probably pass out on that bench for half an hour before walking back to the hospital." Doc told him, he couldn't help but laugh as he believed her. It was also amusing given most women would have just breathlessly said 'yes' and forgotten their burger but not Doc which made him respect the hell out of her fortitude.

"Really?" Wolf asked her incredulously as he was more than happy to give her a lift.

"Yeah, cause I don't come for the price of a burger no matter how good looking the guy buying said burger is." She told him with a smart ass smile.

"Fair enough, though if you want a PG-rated evening. You're welcome to come back to my house and have dinner with six other people and a dog. Sleep in a bed completely undisturbed and alone." Wolf offered, Doc narrowed her eyes at him for a long moment wondering if his offer was genuine or not.

"Really?" she asked, as she did have the evening off. The only reason she worked was that she was at the hospital.

"Yeah, if you're interested in getting away. Could be fun and relaxing, I promise to be an absolute gentleman but I can't vouch for Tex or the dog Admiral Halsey as they are players." Wolf told her, Doc couldn't help but chuckle.

* * *

"Captain, Dr Scott," Miller said, he stood up from the chair had been in and went into a military stance as to acknowledge Tom's presence.

"At ease." Tom told the young man, Miller relaxed and looked uneasy at his presence. Tom had a feeling it was a feeling of being torn with being friendly around to Larrin and adhering to the military protocol. He felt for Miller, the guy wasn't much in the looks department but had

"Miller, how are you?" Rachel asked in a warm manner as Tom helped her ease into her bed. She reclined back against the pillows; looking pale and tired from the short walk they'd taken. He was just grateful she was holding up on her side of not holding what happened to Larrin and those days against him. Their relationship was strained but friendly, so in time hopefully they could find comfortable place to be with one another.

"I'm good Ma'am. Yourself?" Miller asked politely.

"Very well, do I smell Marmite?" Rachel asked as she made herself comfortable in her bed. She felt for Larrin and Miller as her and Tom's presence was definitely a downer on whatever was happening between them. Which was a shame as she felt that they made a lovely couple if only people gave them the space to breathe.

"Ew, it's Vegemite which is a far superior yeast spread. Eric also brought me some croissants too." Larrin told her, Rachel smiled not just at Larrin's comment but because Tom frowned at the words 'yeast spread'.

"And Snoopy." Rachel pointed out with a warm smile as she might not be Larrin's mother or guardian but if she was she'd be impressed with Miller's gifts. They had thought to them and purpose. Sustenance and amusement, nothing wasteful at all.

"Yep, it was this or some creepy looking lizard statue." Larrin offered.

"I'm glad you went with Snoopy." Rachel told Miller, as she had heard the stories and was glad she hadn't seen Kara's house of horrors as Tex described it.

"Thank you Ma'am." Miller said blushing at the compliment. The room filled with an awkward tension and Miller decided it was probably time to go. "I should get going." Miller said to Larrin, hoping he didn't get in trouble for not acknowledging the Captain further but he was here for Larrin and off duty.

"Oh ok." Larrin said, she looked a little disappointed at him leaving which warmed him even though he'd prefer to stay. It was just too weird and Larrin needed her rest. "Will you be back again?" Larrin asked him.

"Yeah, tomorrow?" he asked making certain it was what she wanted.

"I'll see you then." Larrin said with bright smile.

"Sir, Ma'am." Miller said to Tom and Rachel before he turned to Larrin "I'll see you tomorrow, anything you'd like me to bring?" he asked.

"No, I'm good. I'll see you then." Larrin said with smile, Miller gave a nod and left the room. Larrin couldn't help but deflate just a little in his absence as fatigue set in for her.

"I should go check on my injured sailors." Tom said taking his leave of the room. Rachel couldn't help but smile at the humour of the men running away. Miller she could understand but Tom's sudden departure was something else. But then Rachel felt he still carried a lot of guilt about Larrin and her circumstances. But Rachel didn't bother to assuage it as Larrin clearly wasn't blaming anyone so it was on Tom to fix his point of view and learn that he wasn't the cause of everything.

"So, Miller brought you food and Snoopy." Rachel stated, she couldn't help but enjoy the blush and smile on Larrin's face as it was warming to see her be happy. She and Larrin were developing their own bond as friends over the past couple of days. She knew once they got out of the hospital things would change but she couldn't help but enjoy the normalcy of it.

"He asked me out on a date." Larrin told her in a low voice.

"Today?" Rachel asked.

"No before, I can barely remember but I apparently said 'Yes'." Larrin said a little embarrassed that she didn't remember yet could remember other things about Miller with great clarity.

"Why wouldn't you? He's a lovely young man." Rachel told her.

* * *

"Ok, here are the quotes." Danny told Kara, he'd spent all day on the phone getting quotes for their wedding and reception. He now knew firsthand and understood why majority of brides lost their mind. His sister had a nervous breakdown from planning her wedding as it was a lot of money and planning to pull of the event. There was still a lot to do as they had get paperwork for the marriage, permits for the park, a celebrant. They had to decide on their wardrobe for the day, how many groomsmen and bridesmaids, had to try the taster menus to make sure the food was good. What kind of cake they'd want.

If anything, Danny wished his leg was healed so he could let Kara do the heavy lifting. She was a better strategist and making decisions in general than he was. He was sure he'd make all the wrong decisions. Right now he was reeling from the price for the food and booze for their wedding. They were sitting in the small lounge room of their granny flat as the main house lacked the privacy. Danny's leg was propped up on the table as Kara sat cross legged beside him; was eating a second lunch of salad picked up the notepad where he'd written everything down.

She gave it a quick look and gave a shrug. "It's cheaper than I expected." she said in casual yet dismissive manner. Danny couldn't help but feel his jaw drop as he imagined Kara to be more frugal.

"We're having a kid." he pointed out.

"And our friends have put few thousand dollars worth of labour and materials into our house next door. This is fine, we have access to our money and this is cheaper than a formal wedding. Plus we can get it done before the baby is born as you wished." Kara said in a pragmatic tone.

"Yeah but-"

"Seriously?" Kara asked raising an eyebrow at him. She had already resigned them to spending a lot of money in renovating and a wedding. Now they were getting the renovations on the sly, it opened up more funds to spend on a celebration with their friends.

"It's a lot." he said to her.

"It's not cheap to feed people but come on. You can't be that surprised and we're only getting married once. So don't be a tightass about this. You did claim that you earn more money than me and were a good saver unless you have something to tell me." she said as she leveled him with a look of 'if you lied to me, I will physically hurt you'. Something he didn't want to test given their current conditions.

"I got nothing to say except I'm surprised." he told her, it wasn't that he was broke but he couldn't help but worry about their future and wanting to have a sizeable nest egg for them and their kids. He of course was looking at it one sided as he just assumed Kara would give up work and be a stay at home mother like his mother. That meant they'd be dependent on him for income but obviously Kara thought differently. It was a topic he was

"You know when we have the baby, our friends will probably drown us in more gifts. I think this fair and it would cost a bomb if it was three course sit down dinner in a hotel. We're winning with this. So organise a taster menu an we'll make sure it's a good company before we book them. What about the paperwork?" Kara asked him as she continued to eat.

"Gotta go to the old courthouse to pick it all up." Danny told her.

"We'll go tomorrow and get it done. That way we get approval and then we can invite everyone." Kara said with a smile.

"Are we doing invitations?" Danny asked.

"Word of mouth will do." Kara said before she gave him a quick kiss and got up from the table and moved to the sink to rinse her bowl and put it into the dishwasher. "So anything else?" she asked.

"Nope, that's it for now." Danny told her, he couldn't help but drink in the sight of her as she was beautiful, and how lucky he was. He

"Good, so we can relax." Kara said as she moved back to the lounge and sat down with sigh as her hunger was slightly satiated while her food cravings gnawed at her. If she were honest she could eat a bucket load of hot chicken wings and mashed potato with mayonnaise but sadly it wasn't on the menu. At until they had a sampler of their wedding menu.

"You don't have to rush back?" Danny asked.

"Nope, I'm all yours." Kara said with a inviting smile.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

* * *

"That would be about right." Tex grumled as he upturned the milk bottle to get the few drops of liquid into his coffee. He'd been working non stop the last few days and his normal cheery mood was in short supply as he'd ended up with a cold shower, his towel used by who knows, and now there was no milk for his coffee. It also wasn't the first time that week for it to happen.

The house was always filled with people. Which he didn't mind but they were starting to eat and drink him out of food. He didn't want to know what the utilities bill would look like when they came in. Which was why he was thinking of asking for some of the inhabitants to pay some kind of rent to build a nice safety net for the inevitable bills.

Danny and Kara's place would be finished soon but they weren't in the way too much. Barbara was definitely starting to rub him the wrong way. He wanted to like her but with the hours he was pulling at the farm, well she had become head of the family and overstepping her role. He knew it was just jealousy but he wanted to be the one helping Kat with her homework as she was now in school. Frankly the woman was always around so it wasn't like he could get some quality father daughter time in with Kat.

Then there were people coming and going throughout the day and sometimes staying over. He was starting to feel like he was running a half house for displaced people. Doc was sleeping on their couch spooning Halsey who was becoming more of a house dog than the work dog he was supposed to be. Val kept popping around as she decided she'd help out on Danny and Kara's house with rewiring the place. Apparently she did community service for an undisclosed crime where she helped build houses. Now she wasn't needed by Tom and the others; well she had to keep her hands 'busy'.

Burk and Alisha were also coming around a lot to help with the house when they weren't on duty and usually staying late helping plan the wedding. So there wasn't a night where someone wasn't sleeping on the couch.

Now, Larrin was being released from the hospital today as her arm was going to be put in a cast. He originally got the house to give her and Kat some peace and stability. Right now, with all the activity and noise it wasn't much of a sanctuary. He didn't want to be rude but he felt like mentioning that perhaps some people could get their own lodgings. He wasn't sure where Larrin was going to sleep as they didn't have enough space.

"Tex," Miller said,

"Yeah?"

"This is for you." Miller said as he handed him an envelope. Tex put down his coffee on the bench and took the envelope with a frown.

"What's this?" Tex asked, he opened the envelope and found it was filled with what looked to be about $500 in cash.

"Rent." Miller told him.

"You don't-" Tex started but Miller cut him off.

"I do, we're all sharing the space and it's only fair. I also want to pay my way." Miller said as it was a matter of pride for him to show some independence. Tex gave a nod and pocketed the envelope of money; accepting it.

"Ok, thank you." Tex said appreciating that he hadn't had to ask and impressed with Miller's initiative. "You excited? your girl is coming home today." he added with a smile.

"Yeah, it's going to be good. I think she's ready to escape." Miller said, his cheeks bright red as they always were when someone called Larrin 'his girl'.

* * *

"I don't know why I can't keep the splint and have no cast." Larrin said to Rachel who just came out of the bathroom to their room dressed in t-shirt and skinny jeans. Rachel had signed all the paperwork and was now just waiting for Andrea to pick her up.

She had extended her stay in the hospital to keep Larrin company. Not because Larrin was lonely as the young woman had many visitors. Miller showed up quite a lot with food, Kara came to visit once or twice. Wolf was in daily and Tex showed up at random points to visit Rachel as much as he did Larrin. But Rachel had stayed also for herself because she wasn't ready to face the world yet. But she no longer had any excuses. She ran a hand through her short hair still not able to stop wincing as she reached the ends. It would grow but for now it was still a reminder of her time in Julian's hands.

"Because a cast is stronger. You won't have to wear it for too long as the bones are probably half mended." Rachel said as she slowly moved to the chair by Larrin's bed and sat down. She gave a sigh as her body felt tired and sore but then she had been off the IV and painkillers for the past hour.

"True." Larrin said.

"You happy to be going home?" Rachel asked.

"I think so," Larrin said blowing out a breath to calm her nerves.

"They will understand you not remembering everything. Remember to take all the meds the Doctor prescribes." Rachel said to her, they'd talked about Larrin's concerns about going to Tex's house. It was a chaotic environment and understandably Larrin was feeling anxious and a little hesitant as she'd been experiencing nightmares. Nightmares that she wasn't sure were memories resurfacing or not.

Rachel and Larrin had shared experiences, Doc helped in talking with Larrin to help her digest what she was going through. Larrin didn't seem able to open up fully but it was clear she was afraid of being seen as crazy or weak. It was why Rachel tried to share her own side not just to excise it from her psyche but also to show the young woman it was ok. That it was all going to be ok and assure her there wasn't anything Larrin could tell her to make her take back her job offer or their foundling friendship.

"I will." Larrin said, she felt like a mental case but so far Doc gave her a few coping strategies for the stress and anxiety she felt. Sleeping tablets to put her to sleep because her body needed to heal and rest and pain killers for the injuries.

She said if Larrin needed more pharmaceutical aids then they'd discuss it and sourcing a psychiatrist. But Larrin hoped it didn't come to that, she didn't want to be like her father who lost it. She wanted to be normal, and when she was around people she felt sane. It was only when she woke with the nightmares or caught some movement out of the corner of her eye that she kind of lost it. But only a little and usually the movement was nothing.

"Everything will be fine." Rachel said as she leaned forward an gave Larrin's hand a gentle squeeze.

"It will, thank you." Larrin said to her as she squeezed her hand back. She had come to really appreciate Kara, Rachel, Doc and Andrea as the women didn't judge, they listened and accepted her as she was. They had words of wisdom that soothed her instead of feeling like she was grasping for some unreachable goal. They were the pseudo mothers to her in the absence of her own. It was exactly what she needed.

"Anytime and you have Andrea's phone number and address. You're welcome anytime." Rachel told her as she and Andrea already discussed it as they were happy to give Larrin a safe haven. She already knew Kat went over to Andrea's when she needed a break from the chaos or just quiet place to do her homework. Rachel was looking forward to being in the bungalow as there was a strong sense of matriarchy and womanhood. A sense of belonging but still having one's space.

* * *

"Update?" Tom asked as he moved to Lt Commander Burk's side in the Command Centre. It had been a long few days, filled with very little sleep and too much coffee. Definitely too much time for him to think over everything.

"It's slow progress but two factions of the scavengers have surrendered. We're picking up the stragglers thanks to our informant network. The President can safely call the regional leaders and organise the country if he wants to." Lt Commander Burk said to him.

"Good." Tom said as any progress was better than none and anything that brought them closer to rebuilding America to it's former glory. Michener was making all the right moves so far as he with the new leader of St Louis had set up a system for allowing displaced international citizens with temporary visas, housing and food stamps. Not that many people were coming out to take the offer but then the fear of the Scavengers was a hard one to break. But at least it meant when they were ready they would be taken care of.

"Sir, permission to speak freely." Lt Commander Burk requested.

"Go ahead." Tom said to him.

"What are the plans for the Military because I've taken a temperature check and not many people are thrilled at being roped into Michener's agenda let alone associating with the Regional leaders." He told him, Tom appreciated the honesty and the loyalty that Lt Commander Burk and the personnel he worked with. They came together and did their job, they protected the weak without breaking the mores and ethics of the vow they made. Though they did blur the lines as he was now inferring the military wouldn't follow their Commander in Chief's commands.

"I know there is a lot of bad blood." Tom empathised.

"Michener was the secretary of HUD. He's a non elected President, he's also an Immune. I know that he says that he didn't know the Immune's agenda but it's a little hard to swallow as truth." Lt Commander Burk said.

"It is true and we all had to blur the lines a little in the past few months to survive. I can understand your apprehension but Michener is solid. You and the people you work with need to recognise that any long term goals you have will require a functioning government body. Michener is going to give us that." Tom told him.

"Yes, Sir." Lt Commander Burk said, he appropriated a more neutral expression as he decided it was safer to finish the conversation than continue to argue.

* * *

"Ok, taster menu of the wedding food is for Dinner to make sure we picked the right people. No one is cooking, Food is all being provided." Kara told Barbara an the others at the table who were eating breakfast. "We need your taste buds for figuring out the cake and make sure the food is still acceptable." she added as she sat down with a smile.

She and Danny had decided- well, she decided they needed to get married pronto as she knew it was vain of her but she didn't want to waddle down the aisle and she just wanted to be married to Danny as soon as possible. Luckily everything was lining up for them. They had permission from Captain Chandler, they had a date set, all the permits and licences were in order and ready to go. Jeter had agreed to officiate the ceremony for them. All they needed was a cake, as they had their menu done and they had told everyone they knew about the wedding and invited them. So everything was in order except for a few last things.

"Count me in. Though just admit it, you want more of those chicken wings." Doc told her as she ate her breakfast. She hadn't meant to be around Tex's place so much but she found comfort in the mayhem an normalcy of the people. Wolf had stopped his attempts to flirt with her when they were in the walls of the house. He told he felt better not tempting fate and that Kat was an impressionable teen who needed healthy PG rated adult relationships on display.

She had to admit she respected for being a gentleman but once they were outside of the house he became a fairly vulgar mouthed Australian. Nothing is respectful but he made it pretty clear that if she gave him the go ahead to even just kiss her, well he'd definitely make it worth her while. She had to admit she expected more alpha male attitude from him but appreciated the space he was giving her as she couldn't really figure out what she wanted. She couldn't even figure out if she wanted to use her real name and take back her identity or stay as she was.

"Yes, but isn't it best to be sure?" Kara asked Doc with a smile as she did love the food and was craving marinated chicken wings so bad she would cry real pain kind of tears if she did't eat them in the next 24 hours.

"Yes, it is as you never know if they are having an off day. So count me in as free food is always good." Val said as she was typing away on her laptop. She hadn't even looked up. Alisha gave a shake of her head as she gave a smile to Kara feeling for her as she was obviously wanting others to speak up first not the newest additions to their weird crowd.

"There's going to be cake right?" Burk asked as the type of cake being had on Danny and Kara's wedding day hadn't been chosen yet.

"Yep, you can invite your brother if you want." Kara said to him.

"Nah, he's wrapped up in his work." Burk said dismissively as he didn't want his brother at the dinner party. Why should he invite his brother when the man hadn't taken the time to call him let alone see him. "I'll make sure Cruz shows up." he added.

"Is there anything you'd like us to bring?" Alisha asked Kara.

"Drinks." Tex said answering for Kara.

"Done." Alisha said looking to Burk who gave a nod acknowledging the suggestion. "Did you decide on if you were going to wear your uniforms at the ceremony?" she added, Kara gave a grimace as she didn't want to think about it. But she had asked Alisha to be her Maid of Honour, so of course she was on the ball with everything and helping them. Something Kara deeply appreciated.

"I'm not going to fit into mine." Kara said with a sigh, it had been a struggle to fit into her dress blues for the Inauguration ball. She highly doubted there was a a way for her to get a new tailored uniform in time and frankly she just kept expanding which was fine but not helpful for her planning her wedding outfit.

"Well, I'm wearing my dress Blues and expect the groomsmen to do the same." Danny said speaking for the first time as he'd been eating before.

"I don't have dress blues." Tex piped up with a smile reminding the man he'd yet to actually select his groomsmen. Danny and Kara exchanged looks that made Tex feel like he must have missed something like not being invited.

"I thought you asked him." Danny said to Kara.

"I thought you had." Kara told him.

"What?" Tex asked, Kara looked at him with a kind smile that had him worried as it was the smile she used for 'not so good' news. The smile of everything is going to be ok as long as you don't get upset when it was probably going to reduce someone to tears.

"We-" Kara started but stopped and corrected herself. "I was hoping you'd walk me down the aisle and give me away. If Kat doesn't mind." Kara said looking to him and Kat.

"He'll need the practise. So I don't mind." Kat said in a mocking manner that made Tex frown and Kara laugh. It was clear Kat and Kara had spoken about it as Kat wasn't surprised at all.

"I'd be honoured to." Tex said a little gruffly as he was touched by the offer as he knew Kara didn't have a father growing up and her mother had gone off the rails since they'd landed in St Louis. So her asking Tex meant a lot not just to him but to her as well as she could have easily chosen anyone else. "Still don't have dress blues." he added with a grin and his usual levity.

"Your suit will do nicely." Kara assured him.

"Do I have to wear a noose?" Tex asked referring to a tie.

"Yes, it's a wedding Dad." Kat told him giving him an incredulous look before she looked Kara with a look that said 'Men are morons; he frowned wondering where she'd learnt it but let it go. "I'll make sure he gets a hair cut and beard trim." Kat added speaking to Kara.

"What's wrong with my beard?" Tex asked as he stroked his chin to emphasise his beard.

"Nothing, Duck Dynasty." Danny said with a teasing smile.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

* * *

"Ok, Ibuprofen for the broken bones, sleeping pills for sleep and antidepressants for super angry pains." Doc said as she placed the three orange pill containers into Larrin's bag that Wolf was holding out for her.

"Super angry pains?" Wolf asked skeptically as he didn't feel that what Doc said sounded very 'doctor' like.

Larrin was sitting on the bed changed into soft cotton pants that looked like pajama pants though he was assured they were not and a loose tank top with a 3/4 sleeve cardigan. Her arm was in a fresh cast, her skin was pale only marred slightly by the bruises that hadn't disappeared yet. She was slightly withdrawn from the conversation as she looked down at her arm. Wolf wondered if she was ok but decided not to ask as he already had and she'd done the usual 'fine'. 'Fine' usually meant she either didn't want to talk about it or that she was fine. So it was just best to leave it.

"Do you have 6 years of medical education and training?" Doc asked him in a mocking tone, she folded her arms and looked at him waiting for him to have a go at her.

"It doesn't sound legitimate diagnosis." Wolf argued with a smile; baiting her. She was adorable when she got snarky, today she was in fine form, he was tempted to comment on her wardrobe as she only seemed to have two types of outfits. One was scrubs and a lab coat or a lab coat with BDU pants and T-shirt.

"Well, we don't have large quantities of Oxycontin or Codeine. So Antidepressants are the next best thing. Questions?" Doc asked looking to both Larrin and Wolf.

"Super angry pains, what do they look and feel like?" Wolf asked Doc.

"Well they tend to make a person hypersensitive and grimace a lot, for the individual it's when their body constantly thrums with pain due to trauma to their body as it heals. Kind of like that face." Doc said pointing at Larrin who was not looking too great but then her meds had worn off. Doc knew what it was like. She knew Larrin felt every ache and sore bruise left on her body. Though in fairness the bruises were all nearly gone. But days of laying in bed with little exercise hadn't helped her muscles or body in general. Nor did the stress of the trauma and memory loss. "And it feels kind of like this." Doc said as she punched Wolf in the arm; hard on the nerve deadening the muscle.

"Ow." he told her darkly as he lost grip on the bag and let it drop to the floor to rub his arm.

"Except that throbbing is continuous for hours instead of minutes. The pain level will vary but I'm sure you get the picture" Doc told him with a snarky smile. She only punched him for amusement sake and to hope Larrin would smile. It hadn't worked in making Larrin smile but it did make Doc feel good.

"Did you have to hit me?" Wolf asked Doc incredulously as he made a mental note to not piss her off.

"Yes, how would you know if you didn't have first hand experience?" Doc asked him with a smile. She honestly didn't get Wolf, he was all flirty but acted as a friend and it was frustrating as she had no clue what she was doing. Damn, she was not going to make an idiot of herself by making a move to be rejected and cut off from being allowed in Tex's house. The place was sweet, the sofa was comfy, dog was friendly and there was food prepared by people who actually cared about what they ate.

"Will you kiss it better now?" Wolf asked Doc but before she could answer Larrin spoke up.

"Should I just go and leave you two alone?" Larrin asked them in a tired voice. She looked at them hoping they'd get whatever was in their systems out with her not in the room. That and she wanted them to hurry up so she could get to Tex's house and see where she would living.

"No to both of those questions. Now you two get out of here, and take your pills with food." Doc said giving more advice.

"You're not coming with us?" Wolf asked Doc.

"I'm here until 6pm. So get out of here. I'll see you both at dinner." Doc told them.

* * *

Kara blew out a breath and called her mother for the 14th time in the last few days. So far all she kept getting was her voice mail. She left messages and was worried about her. She'd even organised to fly up to Norfolk tomorrow to check in. She felt bad for not doing it sooner but so much had happened and part of her was avoiding it. She wanted to hold onto the hope that Sober Debbie was still in power but the fact her mother hadn't picked up the phone or returned her call said that Drunk Debbie was back and probably in full swing. The thought equally stressed and depressed her at the same time.

"Hello?" Her mother said as she finally answered the phone.

"Mom?" Kara asked in disbelief as she finally got her on the phone.

"Kara, is that you?" Debbie asked her in a hushed tone.

"Yes, it is. How are you?" Kara asked, a smile forming on her lips as she really missed her mother and wanted desperately for her to come to St Louis to be with them. To support Kara through her pregnancy and be excited about the Baby's arrival together.

"Oh, I'm just great. Real great." Debbie slurred, the slurred words made the smile slip from Kara's face, disappointment and resignation sank deep into her bones. Exhaustion rolled over her as she didn't want this, she wanted Sober Debbie. The woman she'd seen when she first returned to Norfolk after the Pandemic struck.

"Mom are you ok? Like really ok?" Kara asked her, hoping maybe if she knew the cause then she could fix it and by fixing it then Debbie would try for sobriety again.

"Of course I am, when am I not fine? Tell me when are you coming home?" Debbie asked her.

"Mom, I have a house here in St Louis. The crew are giving it us as a wedding present." Kara said trying to bring some joy into the conversation.

"Wedding? You're getting married without telling me? What am I? Am I so forgettable?" Debbie slurred in a bitter tone. Completely dragging Kara down with her. This was Drunk Debbie, she was selfish and the world was out to make her miserable and if Kara wasn't with her then she was against her.

"No, I've been trying to call you to let you know and to organise a flight for you to over here." Kara said.

"Oh, so you want me in your life now? How rich given you couldn't run away fast enough from me to your precious Navy. But look at you, no better than me. Pregnant and you think a wedding will make you a family, well you're wrong. You'll throw away your life, your dreams- all for nothing and end up divorced with a kid, no man will want you." Debbie informed her, Kara closed her eyes and reminded herself that her mother was just lashing out at her because she was an easy target. But even so it didn't make it easy to listen to and the words hurt.

"Mom what's wrong?" Kara asked her head was spinning from the whiplash of dealing with Drunk Debbie. She normally had thicker skin from years of dealing with her mother like this. But today every harsh word scored deeply.

"Peter left me." she said in barely a whisper. "It was for the best, I didn't deserve him or you. But it proves how worthless we Foster women are. We're nothing, men get bored and they go. They go, Danny will leave you in the dust for his job." she told her.

"That's not true and I'm so sorry that you're upset but I'd really like you to come to St Louis." Kara said, she didn't know why she was inviting her mother given what she was saying but Danny was listening to what Kara was saying and part of her wanted to keep him in the dark about her mother's drinking problem. He knew that Debbie was an alcoholic-well recovering alcoholic who flitted from man to man. But he'd never experienced Drunk Debbie and Kara hoped she would stay in Norfolk and her sober mother would join them.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but I can't. I can't watch you throw your life away. I certainly watch you fall into the stupidity of love only to have to pick you up when he leaves. Men leave Kara, it's life, it's what we deserve." Debbie said, she hung up before Kara could say another word. Tears filled Kara's eyes as it was not how she wanted the conversation to go. Why couldn't her mother have stayed sober for her; just once have it stick.

"Everything ok?" Danny asked from the lounge where he was stretched out resting his leg. He hadn't heard the conversation but he knew Kara, he knew her posture that spoke volumes. She was upset and fragile, it was the same posture she held for a week when he'd been a total dick after the mission in GITMO that he botched but blamed her for. The days she avoided him because he told her to.

"My Mom is drinking again." Kara said placing the phone on the table, she took a deep breath and blinked away the tears forcing her emotions deep down inside her and shutting them into a box before she turned to Danny. "She's also not coming." Kara told him, she hated how her voice sounded rough and quivered slightly as she couldn't stuff everything she felt in that moment away.

"You still want to go to Norfolk?" Danny asked her, she wanted to lay down with him and just cry but that wasn't the woman she was. She was the kind that kept moving forward, wallowing was for late night in the dark.

"No, I know when she's like this there's no way of reaching her. She'll just wallow and drag down the spirit of the day. So I'm going to call and get back on duty." Kara said, picking up the phone deciding it was best to just work until she got past the disappointment of her mother.

"Ok." Danny said not arguing with her, he knew that Kara and her mother's relationship was complicated and there was a lot of pain on both sides. But right now he wanted Kara to be happy and if she needed to work through it, then he'd let her. But he was definitely taking the flight to Norfolk. He knew it wasn't a smart move to meddle but he needed to know more about the mother of the woman he loved.

* * *

"It's busy." Larrin observed as Wolf pulled the car up to the curb. The house next door presumably Kara and Danny's was a flurry with people and noise of construction. Memories flitted through her mind as she could picture the interiors of the houses, she remembered Miller and her walking through Kara's home before the renovations. She remembered Kat, who Tex helped put a name to a description.

She might not remember Kat's name but she remembered the girl and the conversations they had. She remembered being envious of Tex and Kat's relationship as Tex was a good father. He truly cared about Kat and was doing his best to be there for her.

"Yeah, this is normal. Come on, let's get you inside. I'll make you a sandwich so you can take your meds." Wolf said, he got out of the car and came around to her side and opened the door for her. Larrin got out of the car with his assistance, her muscles aching terribly as she really missed the IV of the stronger pain meds. She had to admit she felt the meds were a slippery slope for her, they helped her forget the bad memories and took away the pain, they eased stress but she couldn't be dependant on them. Taylor men and women were not the type of people to lean on such 'crutches', _no they just went insane and disappeared into the scrub_... Larrin thought to herself wryly.

She followed Wolf up the front steps of Tex's house. The front door was wide open, a large German Shepherd dog barked happily and a second later streaked down the stairs towards them. Larrin stepped back cautious which made the dog stop, he looked familiar to her but she couldn't remember his name. He looked at her and danced a little on his feet as if waiting for some kind of signal from her, his tail wagging happily.

"Admiral Halsey. He's safe." Wolf prompted her, Larrin knelt down to the ground and held out her hand, Halsey moved towards her slowly and sniffed the hand she held out and gave it a lick before he pushed his head against it. She smiled as she scratched him behind the ear. The dog, moved closer and laid down letting her rub his back. She smiled enjoying the soft texture of his fur and at how calm he was in not jumping all over her. It was soothing to not feel like she was on the defensive.

"You'll spoil him."

Larrin looked up the blonde guy on crutches. He looked like he was a Tommy Hilfiger model taking a holiday from modelling and grew some scruff. Too pretty, was all she thought when he smiled at her.

"Lt Danny Green," Wolf said to her.

"You don't have to name everyone for me." Larrin assured him though she was glad as names were a real problem for her. But now she realised that Blondie was Kara's future husband, which made her think their baby was going to be ridiculously cute.

"Well, hello." A woman said as she came out to stand beside Danny. Larrin knew she had to be Miller's mother as she was apparently the only female redhead in the house. "I'm Barbara Miller, Eric's mother." She said introducing herself as she came down the stairs to Larrin, rose to her feet and shook Barbara's hand.

"Please to meet you. I'm assuming we haven't met." Larrin said to her, she knew should be nervous meeting Miller's mother but right now she was tired and only cared for a bed. She also knew from experience that her first impressions weren't the best and Miller was her only son so she figured the woman would not like her on sight so there was no winning either way. At least she was friendly.

"No, we haven't but I've heard wonderful things about you from everyone and very sorry to hear what happened to you." Barbara told her, pity filled her eyes rankling Larrin's nerve endings as she didn't like being looked at like some chewed up pathetic toy.

"Me too." Larrin said, not sure what the correct response should be. 'Thank you' didn't seem adequate and now she just felt awkward and in need of some sleep and pain meds. "Maybe we can all go inside, I could really use a sit down and some food." Larrin added moving the conversation along.

"Oh of course, best time before the crowds come in from next door for their lunch." Barbara said, ushering them into the house.

"I'll get you some food. You want something to drink?" Wolf asked Larrin.

"Cold beer." Larrin said as she moved to the table and sat down, Halsey sat down on the floor beside her chair and placed his head on her leg. She frowned as she really couldn't remember him being such an attentive dog.

"I'll take one too." Danny said as he moved to table and sat down a couple of seats away. Wolf came back with a glass of orange juice instead of a beer for Larrin while leaving Danny with nothing. "Where's mine?" Danny asked.

"In the fridge, you got legs." Wolf told him with a smile as went to making Larrin a sandwich. Not that she wanted one but he'd make her eat it and take her meds.

"Why does Larrin get special treatment? I was shot," Danny said in good humour as he gestured to his leg.

"Because I had to live with him for over a decade." Larrin told Danny.

"Fair call." Danny said, which made Larrin smile and Wolf look at his friend darkly even though he too was amused at Danny's acceptance. "So, I'm heading to Norfolk tomorrow for half the day. You want in?" Danny asked Wolf.

"I-" Wolf was about to tell Danny 'No' but saw the man's expression. It was a mask of casual amusement but Wolf knew better, Danny needed back up and he was probably the only one who could back him up as he didn't have anything tying him down except Larrin. But then Larrin had a large circle of people to take care of her. "As long as Larrin doesn't mind." he said.

"Go, I'll just be laying around here." Larrin said, Wolf gave a nod to Danny. His signal that he'd go with him, he saw relief filter through Danny's expression for just a second before he put on a mask to keep the conversation light.

"No you won't. You'll be helping with next door." Barbara told her, Larrin narrowed her eyes at the older woman not sure how to respond as she felt angry at the connotation that she was being lazy and selfish for not offering to help. It already ate at her enough to feel dependant on others and so far from home. She just wasn't ready to jump back into action yet.

"Ms Miller, it's not necessary. Commander Garnett has got it under control with our crew on hand." Danny said, he felt that if anyone in the room deserved some downtime it was Larrin. That and the house was down to it's bare bones and painted leaving a semi blank canvas for Kara and he to get in and make it their own. The baby room was the only room complete and perfect. It was enough for them all. Luckily Barbara took a hint pretty quick even though she didn't like it, she kept quiet as she moved around the kitchen getting lunch ready for the others.

Danny looked to Larrin seeing her expression well, "Larrin, right now just rest up. I know Kat's looking forward to you being around. She's not doing well with science and could use a hand with her homework." Danny lied as he had no clue but he figured the lie would work for the moment. "Kara needs us all to try the menu tonight and pick a cake for the wedding. So I think that's more than enough for us injured folk." he aid with a smile.

"Right." Larrin said with a tight smile.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

* * *

"We're home!" Kat called out as she and Tex came through the front door. The house was full of people, not unusual for them. Alisha and Val were setting the table while Burk and Cruz were helping Barbara clean up the kitchen for when the caterers would show up. Halsey however free of any task came up to them and greeted them before going for a wander.

"Hey, did you get more milk?" Barbara asked them as she was the second member of the household to greet them.

"Yeah," Tex said wryly as he wondered what was a polite way to ask someone to move out. He knocked shoulders with Kat and gave her a knowing smile as the two weren't a fan of Ms Miller. She was a nice woman but she liked things a certain way and sometimes she acted like the mother and wife one didn't want or need. After a few days, it was starting to grate on their nerves as they were fairly easy going which didn't gel with Ms Miller's need for structure.

"Good, Dinner will be here in a couple of hours. So go get cleaned up and Kat, don't forget to do your homework." Barbara told them, Tex ducked his head and went to the fridge to put away the fridge.

"I did it while waiting for Dad." Kat said to Barbara.

"Oh good, you're more studious than my boy. Getting him to do homework is like trying to pull teeth." Barbara said with a roll of her eyes. Kat felt sorry for Miller, he made it sound like he childhood was awesome but she couldn't see it given Ms Miller tended to make her feel anxious and stressed out like everything was a pop quiz that she hadn't studied for.

"Mom, give it a break. I got me GED what more do you want?" Miller asked her with a wry smile as he came through the door with Wolf carrying chairs to add to the table. His appearance saving Kat from his mother by taking her attention.

"A degree and a job as an accountant or something much safer." Barbara told him with a sweet smile as she adjusted his collar; making it sit just so.

"Next lifetime or you know when I lose a limb that gets me a medical discharge." Miller told her.

"Do not joke about that!" Barbara said swatting his arm, clearly upset by his comment as it could be a possibility.

"Is Larrin home?" Tex asked as he came back to them.

"Yes, she had lunch and went for a lay down. Hasn't been seen since then." Barbara informed them.

"Well, she's going to need time to recover." Tex said diplomatically as he knew Barbara didn't mean to sound so harsh.

"Of course, but I suppose someone not my son will have to wake her up for dinner." Barbara said, she was all for her son dating but she honestly preferred a nice young woman who hadn't been brutalised and was going to stay in the country. Larrin being Australian meant she would have to go back to her country and she frankly didn't want to lose her son or see him completely heart broken when Larrin did run off.

"Kara can wake her up." Tex said, knowing a woman was a safer choice given he didn't know what Larrin wore to be. That and Kat was still worried about not being remembered by Larrin to the point she had talked herself out of seeing Larrin in the Hospital to save herself the pain.

"Andrea, Doc; what do we owe the pleasure?" Tex asked as Andrea and Rachel came through the door.

"Kara said there is Key Lime Pie." Andrea said, it was the second pie to be consumed in payment for her hard work next door. But if Andrea was honest she'd do it for free as the renovations left her too tired to think about the state of her life and who was missing from it.

"I got the ingredients." Tex told her with a proud smile.

"I made the pie because he's hopeless." Kat said as the first pie had been a disaster with Tex trying to make it. Cooking was not his greatest skill. Though he was good at barbecuing and smores. But that was it, luckily Claire had imparted her cooking skills to Kat.

"Good to know, how is school treating you?" Andrea asked her. Kat gave a shrug.

"Doc, what's your excuse?" Tex asked her, she and Andrea were a surprise at the dinner but certainly not unwelcome.

"Free food." Rachel said with a small smile of amusement as she took in his dishevelled and dirty appearance.

"How are you?" Tex asked her.

"Going well, it's rather busy in here." Rachel asked as she looked around for Larrin, she had to admit she felt like a bit of a mother hen around her wanting to protect Larrin as even she felt the anxiety of being in a filled room with everyone looking at her. She could hear their thoughts asking why she was here, how was she coping etc. that was the polite questions.

"You should try being next door during the day. A regular mad house. I'm going to find Larrin." Andrea told Rachel with a smile before she turned to Tex and gave him a once over. "You can go shower." she told him.

"I'll even wash behind my ears if you sit next to me at dinner." Tex said to Andrea with a grin. She cracked a rare smile and shook her head as she walked away.

"Why don't you just ask her out instead of being weird?" Kat asked Tex, she didn't know why her Dad didn't ask Andrea out. He flirted and looked at her backside enough to gross her out but hey if it made her Dad happy then it made her happy.

"What? I'm just messing with her." Tex said dismissively but his cheeks were a deep red giving him away completely.

"Looks awful lot like flirting." Kat told him.

"I agree and I should know given I've been on the receiving end of your charm." Rachel said with a grin, Tex gave her a knowing smile as he didn't refute her claim.

"I'm going to shower. You two stay out of trouble." he told them as he liked Kat and Rachel being friends but wasn't sure he liked them ganging up on him.

"No worries, we'll just be planning your wedding and where we're all going to live." Kat told him in a mockingly sweet manner that made him a little worried but he brushed it off as he did need a shower.

* * *

"Larrin?" Andrea called out as she knocked on Larrin's door. She opened it slowly and peeked inside to see Larrin was asleep in her bed, her arm in the cast was resting on the stuffed Snoopy toy, something about it just de-aged Larrin making her seem younger than she was. It made Andrea's maternal side awaken and want to nurture the injured girl back to health.

"Larrin," she called again and this time the young woman woke up.

"Hmm?" Larrin murmured, she cracked a sleepy eye open and saw Andrea. "Is it time to get up?" she asked as she pulled the snoopy doll in and hugged it.

"Yeah, you need to get dressed and downstairs." Andrea said to her as she picked up one of the three lizard statues that sat on the desk in her room. How Larrin could sleep with the creepy things in her room was beyond her but then at least Larrin wasn't in Wolf's room. That room was a real freak show, Andrea could see why the man wasn't getting laid given it had Lizard statues littered everywhere and cobalt blue fur duvet cover and matching pouf with a dog face on it. The only other person that slept in that room so far was Val. But then that girl could sleep anywhere, so it wasn't saying much. Plus Wolf hadn't appreciated losing his bed for the night.

"How many people are down there?" Larrin asked her, she really just wanted to hide upstairs after lunch given that she knew Ms Miller didn't like her and frankly she was still overwhelmed with being in a new place and dealing with her injuries.

"About ten people, might get up fifteen but no more than that. It's just a sit down meal. Very casual, you need a hand getting dressed?" Andrea asked.

"Do I have to change?" Larrin asked her as she was having a real attack of the lazies.

"I don't think it would hurt as Kara has been seeing these things a promo for her and Danny's big day." Andrea said to her.

"I don't think I have anything nice." Larrin said as she pushed herself up right and looked around the room. She really had no clue if the clothes in the room were even hers.

"Well, let's take a look." Andrea told her as she rose up from the chair and moved to the wardrobe.

* * *

"It is so nice to have you all here. Thank you for coming-"

"Can't you save the speech for the day? I want to eat." Cruz said interrupting Kara who gave him a look that could kill. Instead of shrinking under her gaze he just smiled. He tried to steal a chicken wing but Val slapped his hand away earning her brownie points with Kara.

"As I was saying, we really appreciate everything you've all done and we look forward to moving in next door and celebrating our wedding with you all." Kara said to them really loving that they were all here together after the last year of craziness. They had all become family to her and hoped they'd have more dinners like this.

"Now we can dig in." Danny told them, the table became a flurry of action as food was passed around and some arguments broke over what was an 'acceptable' first serving. It was mayhem but soon everyone had something on their plate and the room grew blissfully quiet except for the murmurs of people appreciating good food.

"This is amazing. I'm totally crashing your wedding." Doc said from her seat at the table.

"You could be my date." Wolf told her.

"You didn't ask me." Doc replied.

"Hey Doc, wanna be my date? I'd totally put out for you." Cruz said with a wink, Wolf narrowed his eyes at the man as he knew Cruz was being half serious but also baiting Wolf. It was no secret Wolf had a thing for Doc.

"See, there's an invitation." Doc said with a smile to Wolf who was sitting next to her, while Cruz was on the opposite side of the table to her.

"An invitation to Herpes." Alisha warned her.

"Ew." Kat said, something Larrin could agree on as they were sitting next to one another at the table. Their reunion had gone a lot smoother than others but only because Tex had helped put Kat's name to her face in her memories. But she was also happy as all of her 'Kat' memories were intact which pleased Kat to no end too. So their friendship was fairly unaffected by her trauma which was a nice change from everyone else. That and Kat was more interested in talking girl stuff with her than playing 'Can you remember' and 'wow that sucks' topics of conversation.

"Hey, I'm 100% clean of any venereal diseases. You can check my medical history, hell you can do a whole new work up if you want." Cruz told Doc and everyone at the table as they were smiling while Ms Miller looked a little less than impressed with the conversation.

"I heard you have a rash-" Alisha started.

"It's eczema, and it was on my back not my junk so totally unrelated to sex. Anyway why you listening to rumours about me? you ready to take a walk to the dark side?" Cruz asked Alisha in a salacious manner that would make any woman tempted to throw their knickers at him as an open invitation. Alisha however was not interested and snorted.

"Not in this lifetime." Alisha assured him in a rich tone.

"So Doc? You, me, food, dancing, maybe a little something, something?" Cruz asked turning his attention to Doc.

"Sure, but we'll have to see how good your game is on the day to whether I put out." Doc told him, there was no way in hell she was jumping into bed with the hot latino given just like Wolf they were way out of her league and she had no clue if she was dynamo between the sheets. She would be mortified if she was a cold fish. Right now she was just enjoying the fact that she felt good enough in her skin to flirt with men as these men knew her better than patient number 125 who wanted more pain relief.

"I'm already in love, you can meet my sister. You'll love her and my nephews." Cruz told her with a grin.

"If you truly loved me, you'd give me a chicken wing off your plate." Doc told him.

"Ok, I take it back, only half in love. These wings are too good to share for only a half baked promise of sex." Cruz told her at which she and many of the others just laughed.

"See there Kat- if he won't give up his chicken wings for you then he ain't the one." Tex told his daughter.

"I can second that." Kara said as Danny had sacrificed half of his portion of wings to Kara as she claimed the baby was craving wings. She knew it was a little mean to deprive but the food was so good and she would show her appreciation of his sacrifice later when they were alone.

"Do you want a spoon?" Ms Miller asked Larrin.

"No, I'm good." Larrin assured her, she couldn't help it that she sucked at using her left hand when it came to eating. Sandwiches were a dream to eat but salad, mashed potato, even chicken wings were a struggle. So it was a little embarrassing for it to be known to the whole table she was struggling. It was bad enough she probably had wing sauce on her face and she'd accidentally dropped mashed potato in her lap thanks to it falling off her fork.

"You sure?" Ms Miller asked her.

"Yes, a spoon will not help matters but I appreciate the suggestion." Larrin said with a tight smile, wishing or hoping Miller wasn't put off by her inability to eat like an adult at the moment. He sat at the table opposite her while they hadn't spoken that much but he did smile at her which warmed her to no end. She honestly couldn't wait for their date, hopefully it wouldn't involve the need for utensils. But who cared as long as it was just the two of them having fun.

"Have you taken your meds?" Wolf asked from his seat, he had tried to sit next to her but Rachel had managed to snag the seat next to her before he or Miller could have a go at it. Rachel seemed pretty proud of herself for getting in their way as it was comfort in numbers at the moment.

"Yes, so can we talk about the wedding? How's the weather report for the day?" Larrin asked trying to direct the attention away from herself.

"Looks to a little overcast but no rain which is great." Danny said, the man had really become a life saver for Larrin as he backed her up in regards to Ms Miller and Wolf's hovering. He seemed to know that she wanted as little attention as possible and even played up complaints of his own injury to get the heat off her.

"Larrin, Rachel, if you're both up for it. I was thinking tomorrow we could go dress shopping just us girls?" Kara asked her.

"Sure, that would be nice." Larrin said with a smile as she wouldn't mind some time out of the house and the fact Kara said the 'girls' meant an escape from her brother and the house. Even if she didn't like shopping.

"Count me in." Rachel said, given her schedule was wide open and since she did have an invitation to the wedding it was only wise to go dress shopping as she didn't have anything. This time she wanted to put in the effort for herself.

"Great, there's this cute boutique shop that I want to take you to." Kara said allaying any fears they would be dragged around to a million different shops. She'd already taken Kat to it and they'd bought her an outfit. It wasn't a dress as much as Kara tried to coax her into one, but Kat wasn't having a bar of it. So Kat ended up with a navy floral jumpsuit that had rolled cuff bottoms and spaghetti straps matched with a brown belt and strappy flat sandals to match. They found a cream 3/4 sleeve fitted cardigan and some chunky silver jewellery to dress it up. Kat was estatic and Kara was happy to see her so, making it worthwhile trip.

"Is that the shop we went to?" Kat asked Kara.

"Yep." Kara said with a smile before she chomped on her chicken wing.

"It's a great shop, you'll like it." Kat told Larrin.

"Mind if I tag along?" Andrea asked.

"Not at all," Kara said as she was definitely more the merrier when it came to getting it dresses. It also meant she could show them the dress she had on hold and get their opinion given Alisha didn't have any time off for the next few days to see it. But she couldn't bring it up at the table as she wanted to keep it under wraps a little longer.

"Good, you can get a dress for the wedding." Tex told Andrea with a smile.

"In your dreams." Andrea told Tex in an amused manner.

"So, Kara, I'm thinking either blue or green, something slinky, ends just below the knee, v-neck for the Commander." Tex said, Andrea blushed lightly in embarrassment as it was clear Tex had given this some thought. No man had ever given any consideration to her wardrobe.

"This what you've been seeing in your dreams?" Cruz asked teasingly as he beat Andrea to the punch. Tex not embarrassed in the least; gave a nod.

Dinner continued on in the same vein of amusement as they talked about the wedding and what was left to be done. Jokes were peppered into the conversation and when dessert came around; Larrin was ready to call it quits. She really enjoyed herself and the people at the table but exhaustion was slowly taking over. Rachel seemed to be in the same thought as they shared a knowing smile.

"Kat, you're a better pie maker than your father." Andrea announced as she ate another bite of her second serve of pie. Everyone at the table agreed with her as they ate their dessert and tried cake samples for the wedding cake. Kat glowed under the compliments the fact that there were no leftovers spoke for itself.

"Hey, it's the effort that counts." Tex told her.

"No, it's not." Andrea assured him.

"I agree, this pie is much better." Wolf said, as many of the others agreed with him. As they had suffered his attempt at key lime pie and lived to tell the horrible tale to anyone who would listen.

"We all have our talents and skills." Tex said diplomatically. "Also, go for the marble cake. It's a winner." he added to Kara and Danny.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

* * *

Larrin sat at the dinner table hours later, everyone was asleep in the house except for Larrin and Halsey. She looked down at the dog and he looked up at her with a doggy smile. She wondered why he had stayed in the main house. She didn't remember him being so attentive of her. Yet here they were, she unable to sleep and he just awake for who knew what reasons.

She had slept for a couple hours but woke up from a terrible nightmare of faceless men chasing her, she running through dense forest as though her life depended on it. The fear and shear panic sank into every cell of her body that when she woke up she felt like running because it felt like she was still being chased. The dregs of the nightmare kept her awake. Were they memories or just her subconscious nutting out some messed up issues.

Either way she couldn't sleep, she was tempted to take a sleeping tablet but was afraid of it becoming a habit. There was something so incredibly enticing about shutting down her mind for a few hours that made her feel like one tablet could turn into two or three, that it would help for a few nights but then it would become a thirst to keep taking them on a more long term basis. Her father hadn't been good with the meds the doctors prescribed him, she always wondered if it was a heredity thing for them to lose their minds, that the meds would just slow that down. She tapped the lid of the orange container not sure of her stance on the matter.

She heard footsteps coming to the kitchen and looked to see Miller come into the kitchen. "Can't sleep?" he asked her, it was a stupid question given the answer was obvious.

"Don't tell Wolf but I didn't have all my meds." Larrin said with a wry smile as she tapped on the container.

"You want something to drink or eat?" Miller asked her as he moved into the kitchen to get himself something to eat. He and Wolf were sharing a room and well Wolf snored. He snored loudly with no sense of rhyme or rhythm which made it hard to sleep.

"Nah, I'm good." Larrin said, Miller got a sense that she was struggling to cope. He'd seen it through dinner, while she kept on a good face there were moment when he saw her exhaustion. He saw her become overwhelmed and wished that she'd been spared being surrounded by so many people. Unlike before where she was all about surrounding herself in noise and joy when they first met, now she needed the quiet. He knew what that was like.

"You need a hand with the lid?" he asked pointing to the pill container she had on the table.

"Yeah, maybe some toast would be good."

"How about half a pop tart. It's the last one, piss off Wolf." Miller offered, he watched as a smile played across her lips. She remembered him, she remembered them eating Wolf's precious pop tarts.

"Sure." she said. Miller moved around the kitchen and toasted the pop tart. Even though she said 'no' he poured her half a glass of milk as she needed something to wash down the pop tart. After the Pop Tart was ready he brought it over to the table and sat next to her. She turned in her chair so she was sitting sideways and looked to him. Halsey moved around Larrin's seat so he was sitting between Miller and her. "Thank you." she told him.

"Anytime." Miller said to her.

"Is he always this attentive to me?" Larrin asked Miller as she looked down at Halsey who looked to her with big puppy dog eyes smelling the pop tart but given it was chocolate the dog was out of luck.

"Sometimes but he seemed to be more aggressive about it since you've come back. Maybe he's picked you to be his handler." Miller said with a frown as he could have sworn Halsey gave him the 'She's mine, so go find your own girl.' look before the dog looked back at Larrin.

"I'm not sure how Wolf would feel about me taking Danny's dog." Larrin said as she was in position to be adopting a dog. She had a job offer from Rachel but she still wasn't sure what it entailed or how much she would be paid. Then there was the big question of if she would go home to find her Mum and brothers. A task she wasn't mentally or emotionally ready for.

"Technically, Halsey was Lt Frankie Benz's dog but when he died, Danny took ownership and now he's just kind of owned by everyone. Kat takes him for runs, Doc spoons with him on the couch for naps." Miller offered, a smile crossing his lips as Halsey was definitely getting a lot more attention these days than when he was on the ship. It was to the point that Danny was already considering putting him into retirement or finding a place that bred work dogs so Halsey could become a role model for pups in training. He had a feeling that Halsey wasn't going to go anywhere but his working days might be over as he was being coddled too much by the women. Not a bad life for a dog in Miller's mind.

"I can't imagine that being comfortable." Larrin said chuckling as the last thing she would do was sleep with a dog. But each to their own and Doc was definitely her own person and quirks. She was fun to have around.

"You're probably sick of this question but how are you?" he asked her.

"I'm ok, I don't think your Mom likes me." Larrin said before she took a sip of her milk. Miller broke the Pop tart in half making sure the bigger half was closer to Larrin before he took the pill container reading that it was sleep meds. He read the label and opened the lid.

He placed one tablet on the plate and closed up the container. He knew she hadn't asked but he figured she might be putting too much thought into it. So he tried to be casual as he felt if a person was in pain or needed sleep then they should take the meds. It was about lessening the suffering, one tablet until one's injuries were healed did not equate to a problem.

"She doesn't have to, all that matters is that I like you." Miller assured her as he knew it was wrong but he felt that his mother's opinion wasn't really valid until Larrin was fully recovered and the two had a chance to know one another. That and if this were the old world, his mother wouldn't have met Larrin until they were serious. So basically everything was happening in jumbled mess but he didn't want to give it up for the world as he really like Larrin.

"I don't want to be a problem for you two." Larrin told him, blushing slightly at him saying he liked her.

"You're not and if it becomes an issue we'll talk about it then. For now let's just have fun and see how we go given we haven't even had a date yet. We both need to be relax about it." Miller said, smiling.

"I know, sorry." Larrin said, she scrunched her nose in an adorable manner. He just wanted to make her happy and smile, so it was going to help if they removed some of the drama that came from the people around them.

"It's ok. So I was thinking this Saturday we could go to that park." Miller said solidifying their plans.

"Sounds good, food truck means finger food right?" Larrin asked as she picked up her half of the pop tart and took a bite.

"Yeah, it does." Miller assured her, she swallowed her bite and gave a sigh of relief.

"Good, I'm so uncoordinated with my left hand. I think I'll be lucky if 20% of the food ends up in my mouth." Larrin said.

"I'm sure it'll be the best 20% of the food." Miller offered at which Larrin chuckled.

"So we leave in the morning and have lunch go from there?" she asked him.

"Sounds good to me." Miller said.

"Great." Larrin said, glad he wasn't running for the hills. Glad that he was here sitting with her in the middle of the night eating a pop tart with her. Glad and relieved that his presence made her feel safe and protected.

"You should take the tablet. You need to be well rested for our date on Saturday. Hate for you sleep through it." Miller joked weakly. Larrin looked at the tablet like it was about to sprout legs and crawl up a wall.

"True," she said as she picked up the tablet and downed it with Pop tart and more milk. "Though if I eat too much I may go into a food coma." She warned him.

"That's ok, it means the date is going well right?" he asked her at which she smiled brilliantly at him.

"I hope so." Larrin answered.

* * *

The following morning,

"Thanks for coming with me. I know it's not easy leaving Larrin." Danny said to Wolf as they headed to Kara's townhouse in Norfolk that she shared with her Mother. It had been an easy flight and Danny checked in with Major Damon as Captain Chandler requested. He'd squared away his duties in Norfolk quickly as he'd been given a pretty easy task. Commander Slattery wanted a digital copy of all known deceased people, and a copy of every civilian clocked in at Norfolk. It was in the hopes that maybe some more families of the crew had shown up and for those who hadn't had a chance to go over the records of the deceased.

Either way, he'd been handed a USB stick and mission was half complete. It'd be complete when the USB stick was delivered to the XO's waiting hands. Danny directed Wolf who was driving through the maze of streets. The place had changed a lot. In fact it looked like everything was back to normal with exception that there were fewer military personnel roaming the base.

"Dude, you're about to do something no sane man would do. You sure about this? Messing with Mothers and Daughters is never good." Wolf told him as he pulled the car to a stop as Danny requested. Danny looked out the car window and saw the lawn was in need of a tidy. Not a good sign.

"Yeah, Kara's got enough on her plate. I just want to make sure her Mom is ok." Danny said, he hadn't said to Kara that he was seeing her mother. He secretly hoped that maybe he could convince Debbie to come to the wedding and try to be sober for it. He had to admit he didn't know what it was like to deal or even live with an Alcoholic.

"Alright." Wolf said, he jumped out the car and came round to help Danny out. They walked through the long grass of the front yard to the door.

"Ok," Danny said as he knocked on the door, the door creaked open. Danny and Wolf frowned as it was not a good sign. Wolf pulled a gun from an ankle holster that Danny hadn't figured on him having. But he didn't ask why Wolf was armed instead he was grateful and moved to the side and allowed Wolf to go first as he was more mobile that he was.

He moved inside and watched as Wolf cleared the rooms one by one and came back to him, he holstered his weapon. He looked rather resigned and disappointed.

"She's in the bathroom," Wolf told him. They moved into the house. It was a mess of littered bottles of booze, old take away containers that were rotting with mould. It broke Danny's heart to see the mess as it just showed him an example of what Kara's life was like. It also spoke volumes of Wolf as he was completely unfazed by any of it.

"This is worse than coming back from deployment after forgetting to empty the fridge." Wolf said to him with a wry smile, Danny said nothing as followed Wolf to the bathroom where Debbie was laying in the bath tub, cradling a bottle of scotch that was half empty. She had vomited and missed the toilet and obviously crawled into the shower as she had vomit down the front of her shirt. She was pale and looked to be barely breathing. The smell was horrific and Danny fought his gag reflex.

"She's out cold. I recommend we call an ambo and let them pump her stomach. Or we can turn on the shower and do this the cruel way and see how far gone she really is." Wolf said to him in a matter of fact tone. Danny looked at Debbie completely out of his depth, so he pulled out his mobile phone and called it in.

* * *

"You should take the meds as instructed." Rachel advised Larrin as the young woman looked rough around the edges for her first night and morning in Tex's house. It was too crowded, too much noise to the point it was overwhelming for Larrin. Rachel could see the panic in Larrin when she and Andrea dropped by to pick up Kara and Larrin for the shopping trip.

"I thought I was fine. It was only one nightmare and then I took one tablet at like 2am. So I'm still a little out of it." Larrin said as she sat down on one of the wing chairs in the shop. She liked it better when they were going ga-ga over Kara's wedding dress choice. She looked gorgeous in a white silk bustier strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, the silk draped in a way that made her pregnancy not so noticeable but still flattering the rest of her curves. It was an easy sell and Kara was bolstered by more female votes to say buy it. Much to Kara's protest, Andrea and Rachel paid for it as a gift to her.

So it was already in a garment bag to go home with Andrea and Rachel for safe keeping until the big day. Now it was down to the others to get something to wear which was more of a challenge than first expected.

"Sleeping pills equals no nightmares. Wait until you're fully healed to deal with nightmares and all the emotional garbage that comes with it." Andrea told her.

"That is the worst advice." Kara told Andrea said with a frown as she rummaged through a rack near them. They made a rule that rank didn't exist in social settings which Kara was embracing with surprising ease given she'd already shoved three dresses at Andrea to try on without the slightest hesitation.

"It's the best treatment plan you got at the moment. If she's thrashing around and tensing in her sleep then she's doing more damage to herself in the interim. Heal the physical first and then treat the emotional. Right Rachel?" Andrea asked looking to Rachel who reluctantly gave a nod.

"It's true, in some cases it's best to heal the physical issues but the psychological effects can't be ignored. So it's good to talk about it. To digest it and gain perspective." Rachel said as she pulled out a dress and held it out to Andrea.

"You need a dress too. Can you and Kara focus on Larrin's dress first? I'm looking for a pantsuit." Andrea told her, Rachel couldn't help but smile at Andrea's bashfulness given it was clear that Andrea did want to dress up, maybe not entirely for Tex's benefit either but also for herself. It was rare for a female officer to be effeminate as it was seen as a weakness except on the occasion where they just wanted to shock and awe those around them.

"No black." Kara reminded them, which made all the women smile as it was the only rule Kara had. No one could wear black or any tone of black either. Her phone rang before she could list off any other specifications. Kara looked down at the ID on the call. "I have to take this." Kara said with a sigh as it was her home number in Norfolk. "Hello?" she said, bracing herself for her mother.

" _Kara._ " Danny said.

"Danny, what are you doing at my place in Norfolk?" Kara asked as she didn't remember him saying he'd go see her mother. She had hoped he'd avoid Debbie altogether.

" _I came to see how she was. I knew you worried, please don't be mad."_ Danny said, if anything she loved him more than ever as he hadn't called to tell her the wedding was off. Yes, pregnancy made her think irrational things just yesterday she was worried that she shouldn't be wearing white to the wedding given it was hypocritical. Luckily Alisha had talked her out of her downward spiral assuring her that white was symbolic of Kara entering her marriage with Danny as a new beginning of them together.

"I'm just confused. Is everything alright?" Kara asked, wishing it wasn't going to be bad news but was already geared for the worst.

" _Wolf came with me. We found your Mom, she's in bad shape and is being taken to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. Just wanted to let you know and that I can handle things here for you. If you don't feel up to coming over._ " he told her.

"Danny-" Kara started but Danny cut her off before she could tell him that'd she try to find a way to be there even though it was the last place she wanted to be. She wanted to be happy. She was a few days away from marrying the man she loved and right now she wasn't sure she had it in her to pull her mother out of her current bender.

" _We're going to be married soon. Your family will be mine. Let me help you and Debbie ok? All I'm going to do is stick around and see where she's at mentally. So let me do this for you, you've got enough on your plate. Ok?_ " Danny asked in a soft pleading manner that made Kara want to cry in sheer relief as he was letting her off the hook. Something no one had ever let her do when it came to Debbie.

"I love you." Kara told him.

" _I love you too and I'll keep you posted._ " Danny told her, she smiled as she felt his love even from Norfolk.

"Ok, bye." She said, Danny said his goodbyes and Kara hung up the phone on her end and tossed the phone back into her bag.

"Everything ok?" Larrin asked her as it was clear something was up.

"Yeah, my Mom isn't coming to my wedding." Kara said to her and the others as Rachel and Andrea had paused in their search to look at her with empathy.

"I'm so sorry." Andrea said, Kara gave a weak smile and a shrug.

"It's to be expected. She's not a big fan of celebrations." Kara said, she gave a shake of her head and went back to rack in front of her and pulled out a cotton canary yellow dress with cap sleeves. "Here try this on." she said holding the dress out to Larrin.

"Isn't it a little under dressed?" Larrin asked her with a frown as she thought weddings meant dressing up.

"It's for your date with Miller on Saturday." Kara told her.

"Do I have to wear a dress?" Larrin asked her.

"Yes," All three women said in unison. Larrin not one to argue that resounding answer; pursed her lips and rose from her chair. She reluctantly took the dress and went into the change room.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

* * *

Danny sat by Debbie's bedside waiting for her to wake up. Wolf had left to run his own errands. What they were? Danny didn't ask, he had a feeling that he was trying to see if there was a way of contacting Australia. Not that the man talked about it but it was clear that he wanted to know if his family was alive. Danny had asked Major Damon if anyone with his last name came into Norfolk but the only Greens on the base didn't share any first name he recognised. It made him wish he had the time to really search for his family. But Major Damon made it clear that if his family didn't check in here or the other safe zone run by the military they were either in a regional safe zone or dead as the Scavengers usually didn't leave people alive in the dead zones for long.

"You look familiar." Debbie murmured as she slowly woke up. The woman looked terribly, her eyes bloodshot and hair a mess. She looked nothing like the woman he'd met months ago on their first return to Norfolk.

"It's me, Danny Green. Your daughter's fiance." Danny said hoping to prompt her memory given she was still out of it. Probably from the massive hangover she was nursing. He really wanted to empathise with her situation but he just didn't understand addiction and well he had spoken with Wolf who's view point tainted his own as Wolf said it was a flat out choice.

Danny knew some people had a certain personality traits that made them more likely to become addicts. But he too felt it was choice followed by how strong a person's convictions were to keep clean. He just wan't one to think too deeply on it or feel passionate about the subject to share his opinion and frankly it wouldn't help Debbie or Kara.

"She's getting married." Debbie said pressing a hand to her face. She made it sound like it was the worst news in the world. It made what little sympathy he had evaporate along with whatever hope he had of convincing her to come to the wedding.

"To me, yeah I know. How you feeling?" Danny asked her, he did care about her. She was going to be family but he realised that he needed to share what his limitations were. Maybe now wasn't the time but he had a feeling that there was never a good time.

"In need of a drink." She said with a wry smile, obviously it was a joke but it fell flat with her audience.

"Mrs Foster, I think you've had enough to drink for a lifetime. It's time to get help." Danny said, overstepping his bounds completely. But he knew in his bones that he couldn't spend the rest of his married life with Kara worrying about whether the next phone call would be the one to tell her that Debbie died from alcohol poisoning.

"You think because you're screwing my daughter that you have a right to dictate my life to me?" Debbie asked him, her tone scathing even if her voice was rough and weak. It was clear she knew his number well.

"I think as your future son in law and the father of your future grandchildren that I'd really like for my kids' grandmother to pull herself together and get the help she needs. You'll be a role model for our kids, what kind of behaviour are you setting for them now?" Danny asked Debbie in a calm yet pragmatic toner.

"Kara turned out alright in spite of me. So why bother as we know you'll just shut me out." Debbie argued.

"I'm not here to shut you out. I'm here because Kara was concerned for you and couldn't get time away from her duties to be here. I also know when you're sober you're the most loving and caring woman I've met. You pulled together a community in a crisis-"

"That's right, then the military came in and took that community away like they did Kara. They all don't need me anymore." Debbie told him, it was clear she had her own narrative to excuse herself of the damaging behaviour she was partaking in.

"Deb, we want you in our lives, We also need you in our support network. But it has to be with you completely sober. I know that Kara would really like you at the wedding-"

"Sober." Debbie said scathingly. Her hatred was more at herself than Danny. She knew what he was saying but he had no understanding of her life, of her isolation and pain. That drinking to her was not some choice people believed it to be. It was a crutch, it was her medicine, yes it didn't help her in the long term but sometimes she needed that drink as desperately as she needed to breathe. It was to give that up especially when it was the only pleasure she had in life.

"It's the version of you that we like the best. It's the person I want Kara and my kids to know and grow up knowing. Now there is a program on the base. I can pull some strings and get you in today but you have to put in the hard yards." Danny told her.

"I'll just fall off the wagon again." She promised him.

"That sounds as though you've made a choice. One I wouldn't recommend, here's my card. If you change your mind, give me a call. I'll set it up, I'll get you a weekend pass to come to the wedding because I know Kara wants you there but it's your decision to make." Danny said as he placed his card on the bedside table. He piked up his crutches and got up from his chair and left Debbie to her own thoughts. He made it outside of her room and saw Wolf leaning against the wall looking bored.

"All good?" Wolf asked him.

"Not great, but you mind if we clean up the house?" Danny asked Wolf, he didn't want Kara to come to Norfolk on a whim and see the current state of the house. He felt it wasn't fair on her and frankly he couldn't fix Debbie's problems for Kara but he could clean the house.

"Yeah, no worries." Wolf said.

* * *

The next few days went in a flash and before Larrin knew it. It was Saturday. Shopping had been successful with Kara, Andrea and Rachel. Everyone came away with a dress for the wedding, Rachel ended up with ruby red high neckline, sleeveless midi dress with a flare skirt. It was elegantly chic and low maintenance look for her and conveniently covered her chest. Tex was going to ecstatic given Kara and Rachel urged Andrea to get a sculpted wraparound green dress with a v-neckline that gathered beautifully at the waist. Even without make up and her hair not done the woman looked ready for a date.

Larrin ended up with a fitted lilac tea dress with a flare skirt made from a soft chiffon and lace that had a sweetheart neckline and lace straps, it was paired with a rose pink cardigan. Not colours she'd choose for herself but she did look good. Just as she did now in the cotton canary yellow shirt dress that ended at her knees. She paired it with nude coloured flats. She felt that maybe everyone else was more nervous about this date than she was as they helped her with her hair and minimal make up given she had no tolerance to sit still.

Miller and she made the quickest exit from the house as it felt like they were leaving for prom minus people taking photos and corsages being given. It was a little embarrassing how invested everyone was. The only person who wasn't on board was Ms Miller who decided she was too busy to see them off which was a relief as the others were over the top as it was.

Either way, Miller drove them to the park and short walk later they were enjoying the beautiful weather and the fact no one was watching them like a hawk.

"You look really beautiful." Miller said to Larrin, she gave a light blush as she smoothed a hand down her dress.

"Thank you, you're not so bad yourself." she said as he was dressed in jeans and a blue button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and two buttons undone. He looked really handsome, she bit her bottom lip and stopped walking, nerves and desire getting the better of her.

"Everything alright?" Miller asked as he turned to face her, she looked at him for a long moment and before he could say another word she kissed him. It was a chaste kiss, as she brushed her lips over his. He'd been a little shocked at her kissing that he didn't even get to respond when she pulled away.

"I heard the anticipation of the first kiss can make the first date really uncomfortable. Cause people worry about bad breath, weirdness or whatever. So I figure we already kissed before but this is different-" Larrin babbled adorably, her cheeks flaming a deep red now. "I just wanted to-really wanted to kiss you and-" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Miller kissed her back. But there was nothing chaste about his kiss.

He slid his fingers into her soft hair and pulled her close with his other hand into her body. Her lips parted eagerly, and Larrin gave a moan; drowning in the sensations as her tongue sliding over his. The kiss deepened and she melted into him, her whole body sighing in pleasure. She was a little disappointed when the kiss came to an end but really happy at the same time. She knew why the kiss had to end as they were standing outside in broad daylight at a park surrounded by people.

"Feel free to kiss me anytime." he told her, a smile played handsomely on his face distracting her completely.

"Ok," Larrin said a little dazed but in a good way. He smiled as she was cute when she was dazed and he could tell what she was thinking in that moment and feeling as it was all over her face.

"Food?" He asked as much as he wanted to kiss her some more. He knew they'd need food for energy and he had to admit this was way better than any other first date he'd had.

"Yes." Larrin replied but it sounded like she was answering an entirely different question.

"You ok?" he asked her, amused but a tad concerned. She blinked and seemed to be back with him.

"Yeah, I'm really good. Food, yes. Let's eat." she said her brain slowly working again. Miller smiled feeling like a king for short circuiting her brain but glad he wasn't the only one affected by their kiss.

* * *

"It's a boy." Danny told Kara as they walked out of the hospital. They'd had their first ultrasound together. Kara already decided it was her first ultrasound too, as she didn't count Baltimore. That was just a bad memory she decided didn't count. Danny who refused to use his crutches and opted for a cane held out one of their many printed photos out like a proud papa.

"It's a girl." Kara told him, they decided to go with it being a surprise but it was fun to speculate about their baby. Danny was dead set on it being a boy, Kara honestly didn't care so she played Devil's advocate and said 'girl' for fun.

"We can have a girl next time. I know how to handle boys given I am one. See that, that says it's a boy" Danny said with a grin as he pointed to the baby's foot, Kara gave a laugh and shook her head.

"Lieutenants." Mike said, Danny and Kara stopped in their conversation and straightened their posture in a respectful greeting. They were not in uniform but old habits died hard.

"Captain, Commander." Danny said in greeting to Tom and Mike, Kara repeating the same acknowledgement.

"How are you both?" Tom asked, he and Mike were about to go into the hospital to check on the latest batch of survivors they'd recovered from a Scavenger compound and pay their respects to the soldiers injured in the firefight.

"Very well Sir, we just had the ultrasound for the baby." Kara said with a smile. Tom felt a pang of envy at the couple as they had the rest of their lives together, they got to experience the joy and pains of being new parents. To grow old together as long as fate wasn't cruel to them. He remember having the same chuffed look Danny had when Darien told him he was going to be a father.

"It's a boy. See that." Danny said showing them the ultrasound, Mike took the photo from him and he and Tom practically analysed the picture. Both frowned at the picture, which was really to stop themselves from laughing out loud as the part of the image that Danny was claiming to be a penis definitely had toes attached to it.

"That is a foot." Mike told Danny bluntly as he wasn't one to be beat around the bush.

"No." Danny said with frown as he looked down at the other copy in his hand.

"Trust me, I know what I'm looking at. Three pregnancies. That is a foot and it's the wrong angle to tell the sex of the kid." Mike informed him, he cleared his throat trying to keep a straight face as Kara looked vindicated and amused. Danny looked confused and a little off put.

"I agree with the Commander. It's a foot." Tom said with a smile as he handed the ultrasound back to Danny who looked so proud yet so utterly clueless, it did make him question the man's education but figured it was exuberance and wishful thinking it to be a boy.

"Thank you, there's still a 50% chance of the baby being a girl." Kara said with a smile, she gave Danny a 'Take that' look at which Danny looked back at her sheepishly.

"Excited about the upcoming nuptials?" Mike asked them.

"Everything is coming together nicely. You'll both be there right?" Kara asked them with a hopeful expression. Tom remembered Danny and Kara asking permission to marry, and extending an invite to him and his family. He liked that they were inviting everyone to their wedding celebrations. The Nathan James crew was truly and extension of his own family, so it felt right that they all attend. He liked how the couple wanted to welcome everyone's family. The expenditure on such a party couldn't be cheap for the couple but they knew what they were up to.

"Wouldn't miss it." Mike told her with a rare smile.

"Agreed, though I'm a little lost on the dress code." Tom admitted.

"Casual smart. Only the Groom and his best man will be wearing their dress blues for the ceremony. Afterwards dressing down given the hour and that we want everyone to feel free to have fun given we're at a park and kids running around." Kara explained hoping she didn't sound too insulting as they all knew there were strict rules to what an officer could and couldn't do in public while dressed in their uniform.

"Sounds like a good plan for a great day." Tom said, he saw the relief in her features when he agreed or in her opinion approved and felt good for letting her not feel restricted by the older values of the military but still respecting it. He had to admit that he was happy to forgo his military uniform, from the sounds of it. He might be able to spend some quality time with his kids and not feel buttoned up by his rank and uniform for the day. He idly wondered if Rachel would be going and pushed the thought aside knowing for sure she'd be there.

He knew she was living with Andrea, the redhead had no qualms giving him updates on her health whenever they crossed paths. He just needed to figure out the best way to approach her. They had tentatively repaired some of the damage to their relationship. He really hoped they could be friends, he knew it was too much to expect more and he frankly wasn't in a place to give her more. It's why he told her to look him up when she got back from saving the world.

If he were honest he was still drowning in his grief. Some days, the pain was there as just a hum in the background; constant emptiness and pain in his soul and heart. Other days, he felt like he was drowning in his grief to the point he couldn't breathe and felt there was no way forward. But anger pushed him forward, anger kept working to destroy everything that had led to Darien's death. The proliferation of the cure, the destruction of anyone who wanted to stop their success. He felt once some sense of normalcy returned to the world he would feel somewhere close to the man he when he left Norfolk all those months before the pandemic and the mess it created.

It was why he felt guilty about Larrin and Rachel even Dr Clarke's death. He hadn't been thinking clearly, he hadn't had enough control and everything fell apart and people got hurt. People he and his crew cared about. He wasn't sure how he would ever make it up to them and then there was his kids. The guilt of abandoning them to the hellhole the world had become, for them watching their mother die, for being back in St Louis and still not had the time to see them. But he was fixing that. He'd made the first steps, he'd found a house, cleaned it up and furnished it. His father and kids would be arriving this afternoon.

"We're hoping so." Danny said.

"Anyway, we should get going we have a meeting. It was good to see you too and congratulations." Tom said making his and Mike's excuses.

"Thank you Sir." Kara said warmly.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

* * *

Miller was lying on his back reading his phone as Larrin laid on the ground next to him. He was glad he brought a picnic blanket as he didn't think Wolf would appreciate Larrin coming home with grass stains on her dress. A few hours ago, he'd laid down the blanket and left Larrin as he went to get food.

He came back with a bounty of food as he had no clue what she wanted and she hadn't given him any specifics except that she hated Tarragon which didn't narrow down the menu. She'd been happy with the spread of food. They ate and laughed together over funny stories and random things they had in common and some that they didn't. All the while all he could think was how beautiful she was, that she was so far out of his league but she wanted him. That she liked him, that kiss she had given him had rocked his world.

Soon after the food was all gone and they'd cleaned up all the empty containers, Larrin looked ready sleep. So when he suggested they just lay down and cloud watch, she said yes and within seconds had fallen asleep. She'd been sleeping for nearly two hours and he wasn't ready to wake her up yet. She needed the rest and he loved how much trust she showed in falling asleep next to him. In her sleep, she had moved around and somehow with no help from him, she ended up with her head on his shoulder and curled at his side. He laid his arm around her shoulders out of comfort and pulled out his phone to read one of many training manuals he had downloaded.

He knew he should be bored out of his brains laying there but he wasn't. He was content to stay as he was and just let her sleep. To him, it was a pretty perfect first date and it made him wonder how the second and third date were going to go. He also couldn't wait to dance with her at Kara and Danny's wedding in a couple of weeks.

Larrin gave a sigh and shifted in her sleep, he felt her slowly wake up as muscles started to tense up. He placed his phone down as Larrin pushed up with her good arm and looked down at him with a sleepy smile.

"Sorry." she said sheepishly as she hadn't planned on sleeping let alone curling up against him. She just hoped she didn't grope him too much in her sleep. She had no clue given she had been blissfully dream free.

"You're fine. How do you feel?" he asked her.

"Good, I really needed this. To be with you." she said with a warm blush gracing her cheeks as she really liked Miller. He was a gentleman and made her feel like she was perfect just the way she was. More than anything he made her laugh, smile and feel content. Something no man had ever made her feel, she should feel a little mortified but she felt like they'd been together for a lot longer, and thus was more comfortable than she had previously thought.

"Same." he told her.

"What were you reading?" she asked him as she crossed her legs and sat up. Miller was a little disappointed she didn't just lay straight down next to him again.

"Training manuals." He confessed.

"So, you're Navy for life?" she asked him carefully. She wanted to know what she was possibly signing up with Miller. She didn't want any illusions as right now she wanted up front facts and truths. Her memory loss had made her feel insecure in how accurate her memory was and wanted to be reassured.

"I hope so." Miller said, he felt like they were entering a very serious conversation that wasn't normally first date topics.

"Dr Scott offered me a job that will keep me stateside. I'm going to take it not because of you but because it's something I want for myself. It's going to be based here or maybe in Norfolk depending on where the best labs are, I guess. It's all still in the works." She said, she felt the need to clarify so she didn't sound so clingy.

"I'm glad to hear it. You're one of the smartest people I know next to Dr Scott." Miller told her sincerely, he already knew that he'd go anywhere and travel any distance to be with her. So he didn't mind where she ended up as long as she still wanted to be with him. She was worth it, but he had to admit it would be great if she ended up somewhere he could get to easily. Flights between St Louis and Norfolk even San Diego were quick and he knew he'd be stationed out of Norfolk or San Diego depending on where his deployment took him.

"I guess what I'm saying which is pretty heavy for a first date to say is that I really like you and I know what your work is like. That you will be deployed for months at a time, even so I would really like to continue dating you. If you want to give it a shot with me." Larrin said, she knew she was laying a lot on the line but she felt fairly secure in Miller's answer. But she just wanted to be up front with him as much as possible so as to not waste their time.

"I definitely want you- I mean to give this a shot." Miller said to her, Larrin chuckled and smiled brilliantly at him and laid back down next to him on the blanket. She felt completely relieved that he hadn't brushed her off. She also loved his slip of tongue.

"So how boring is that training manual? or is it classified?" Larrin asked as she rested her head back on his shoulder. Miller picked up the phone and showed her it to her. It was for Petty Officer 2nd Class requirements, a rank he was hoping to make before his next deployment.

"Not classified but will probably put you to sleep." he joked.

* * *

Rachel knew she should be taking it easy but gardening had always been a sore spot for her. She could grow live cultures in a lab but trying to grow a plant or even keep a cactus alive was a real life challenge for her. But now that she had time, she was committed. She was going to grow something beautiful in her and Andrea's front yard even if it possibly killed her.

If her chest wound had anything to say it was informing her that she was definitely heading towards dying as it pained from the exertion but she didn't want to stop. She had pulled out nearly half of the garden bed that had dying plants. Tex had come around the week before and mowed their lawn for them so she didn't have to worry about that. But she had to admit she enjoyed being outside in the fresh air and sunshine, the smell of the dirt and ozone was relaxing.

"Rachel?" Rachel turned in surprise to the voice calling her name.

"Tom?" She sat back on her feet and looked up at him. He looked so damn strong and healthy it made her jealous as she struggled to pull out weed grass. He was dressed in his customary BDU's, clean shaven and impressively handsome. She on the other hand was a sweaty probably very pale dirty mess. She had on a wide brim hat and was wearing a t-shirt and overalls, not the kind of outfit she needed him seeing her in. It was her grandmother outfit as she could imagine herself still wearing it trying to grow something in the garden besides weeds well into her 80's.

"Should be exerting yourself so much?" he asked as he crouched down beside her and idly pulled out a weed with ease and tossing it onto the pile.

"It's good to keep moving." she informed him as she pulled off her gloves taking a rest. "What do I owe this visit?" she asked.

"Just checking in, see how you are." he said to her, his eyes roaming her face. She tried not to show weakness as she didn't want him to save her when she could save herself. She didn't want him being her knight in shining armour even if she would love for him to just pick her up off the ground and take care of her.

"I'm good. How are you?" she asked him, she saw through the mask he wore to the pain and grief inside. It was why she understood that he didn't invite her into his room. If he wanted meaningless sex that night he would have, and if she were honest she highly doubted they could have meaningless sex.

"I'm ok, my kids and father and flying in this afternoon." Tom said.

"That's great." Rachel said as she was glad he would be reunited with his family. "Are they coming to Kara and Danny's wedding?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm making them go whether they want to or not. I think it'd be good for them to be around the crew of the Nathan James and their families. Dad will love not having to cook or clean and Cruz has nephews who are Sammy's age. Ashley is at that age where weddings are very romantic." he said with a smile, loving the ease of being able to talk to her about his kids.

"Weddings are romantic no matter what age a girl is." Rachel said teasingly.

"Will you save me a dance?" he asked her, he wanted to be her date but it was too soon for him and the kids. So asking for a dance was the best compromise he had. It would be enough for now.

"For you, I'll save two dances." she told him with a smile. Tom warmed at the offer and gave a nod as he knew she was flirting with him and it felt good.

"You're too good for me." he joked.

"You have no idea how true that statement is Captain." she told him with a brilliant smile. He couldn't help but chuckle at her salaciousness and looked to the garden bed that was a mangled mess.

"What are you going to plant here?" he asked her.

"Lilacs and Irises, my grandfather used to plant them for my grandmother; he continued to do so even after her death. I remember really loving them and what they meant to my Grandparents." She said with a soft reminiscing smile.

"May I help you?" He asked.

"Sure, if you don't mind getting a little dirty." She replied, Tom said nothing as he knelt down on the ground next to her and started to pull weeds out of the ground. Rachel pulled her gloves on and joined him.

* * *

"You seriously need a girlfriend or a hobby." Doc informed Wolf who was trying to spy on Larrin and Miller. But was completely unsuccessful given trees and a hedge blocked the view. All he could see was the top of their heads which told him exactly nothing. All he knew was that they were well past the time Miller said he'd have his sister home.

"You could be both for me." Wolf said turning to face her. Everyone was home given it was nearly dinner with exception of Danny and Kara who decided to go out for the evening. So it was Tex, Kat, Ms Miller, Wolf and Doc who apparently couldn't pass up fajita night.

"I don't think I'd make a very good hobby. I work 60 hour weeks." she told him with a smile.

"That and I prefer to know who I'm dating. Like their name, so I know what to call them when I'm-" Wolf stopped as he was about to say something profoundly sexual and didn't want Ms Miller to hear it.

"Are they back yet?" Ms Miller asked, as she moved to stand next to them breaking the magic of the moment between Doc and Wolf.

"Yeah," Wolf said.

"Geez you three, get away from the window and sit down. You'll embarrass them with the stalking." Tex told them from the table as he and Kat were playing poker.

"I'm not stalking them." Ms Miller informed him in a tart manner as she moved away from the window. "I'm just curious because if we can all be honest. This won't last. Your sister has to return to her family in Australia right?" she asked Wolf. It was pretty clear that Ms Miller's Mama bear mode was fully operational as she was afraid of seeing Miller's heart broken. Wolf however wasn't worried about that as Miller and Larrin were completely dopey for one another. He just wanted Larrin to reach her goals and dreams before getting knocked up.

"Dr Scott and I were talking about a training program for Larrin to help her reach her goals a couple of days ago. I think that rules out her leaving to go back to Australia unless something drastic changes." Doc said as she moved to the table.

"What's this?" Wolf asked, Doc gave him an incredulous look.

"Really? Your sister wants an MD on top of all the other letters after her name. You have no clue what state Australia is in. While here she had the best chance of becoming one of the top physicians and engineers in medical science here." Doc told him.

"Larrin didn't say anything about that." Wolf said with a frown.

"Well, we haven't discussed the finer details with Larrin yet. Since her recovery takes priority at the moment. But we're very keen on keeping her here." Doc told him.

"Fair enough." Wolf said as he couldn't argue with that and he did respect Doc and Dr Scott. They were incredibly strong and intelligent women who would be good mentors for Larrin. "And Ms Miller, if anyone will be going to Australia it'll be me. Major Damon told me the last reports that came out of Australia said civil war had broken out. So I'm not having my sister walk into what could be a potentially dangerous situation. Something I'd like you all to keep under your hat as I haven't told Larrin yet." Wolf said to them.

"War?" Kat said bleakly, Wolf inwardly cursed as he hadn't meant to upset the girl.

"We've been having racial tensions in our country for years. The disinformation from the media about pandemic apparently was a catalyst for a blowout. I don't have all the details but don't worry. It's apparently all internal won't affect the US." Wolf said even though it affected him deeply. He had no clue what it meant about him going home and finding his family. But apparently no one was answering the phones back home.

"But you're all really apathetic and laid back people." Tex said lightening the conversation even Wolf couldn't help but smile at the stereotype coming through.

"Only until the beer runs out Mate. That's when things get real and people start to care" he told him with a chuckle.

* * *

Larrin reluctantly pulled back from the kiss, she could really kiss this man forever but she had a feeling Wolf was pacing the floor and Ms Miller would not like it if they were late for dinner given they said they'd be home over an hour ago. But their date had run into the overtime and it was great.

She'd had another short nap and then Miller had kissed her when she'd woken up. Which led to some more kissing, playful hot kisses while hands remained annoyingly in tasteful places until a football hit them. It was then they realised they had to get home. Whether the football hit was an accident or not was left un-investigated as they returned home. Miller parked the car where they shared a quick kiss before he helped her out of the car.

Neither could resist sneaking in one more kiss before going in and facing the music. The hard and annoying part of their courtship as they were both adults but were seen as kids. So they were really like teenagers.

"I had a really good time." Larrin said not for the first time as she smoothed the front of his shirt with her hands. She had smiled so much her face was starting to hurt but she was so incredibly happy. Miller was wearing a smile too, his hands trailed out of her hair as they broke apart and took a breath to prepare themselves.

"I'm going to move out." Miller told her.

"What?" Larrin asked, she didn't want him to leave. They wouldn't have their late night conversations anymore.

"Not tomorrow but in the next few weeks, if I have my own place then we will have some more privacy for us." he said pointing out the real advantage as they wouldn't have a freaking curfew. A curfew Ms Miller put in place not Wolf as he begrudgingly figured if he tried to lay down the law Larrin would do everything in her power to rebel against it. Sure Miller was all for flouting it but Larrin didn't want to be on Ms Miller's bad side.

"I like the sound of that." Larrin said with a soft smile, she turned and barely took two steps away from him before he pulled her back into his arms.

"One more kiss. Last one for the night." Miller promised before he gave Larrin a kiss that made her toes curl in pleasure.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

* * *

"I think we all knew who wearing the pants in the relationship when Mrs Green said she'd take Mr Green him as her wedded wife." Burk said clapping Danny on the shoulder with a laugh two weeks later. Time had just flown by in their worlds.

"It was a mistake." Danny said, cheeks burning red as he was being teased mercilessly by Kara's slip up. It had been pretty funny and no one was going to forget it anytime soon.

"No it wasn't. You were whipped from Day One, My friend." Cruz said with a chuckle before he took a pull of his beer.

"Yeah." Danny said with a smile as he was man enough to not feel emasculated by their comments and frankly he was the luckiest man on the planet. He looked over at Kara who was talking with Rachel and Kat, she was glowing and incredibly happy as he was.

The wedding was perfect, there were a few sour notes where Kara's mother refused to come but that was on her. She was in rehab and working out her issues but wasn't ready to come to St Louis even for the wedding. There was also the fact that Danny didn't have any blood relations at the wedding. But he had his military family and friends, their families by extension.

The day turned out well, the ceremony went smoothly bar Kara's minor slip up from nervousness of being infront of a large gathering but everyone laughed. It all felt right to be in the park with so many people around them, the weather had been perfect, it was cloudy but no rain and it had cleared up to blue skies.

Once all the photos were taken for the wedding, the men changed into plain white shirts with sleeves rolled up; leaving their pants on. Ties and any other naval trimmings were taken away for safe storage to allow them the freedom of not being completely restricted by Navy regulations.

The bridal and groom party joined everyone else for the large picnic barbecue. They decided it to get a few traditions out of the way first while everyone was eating and fairly congregated to one area. They gave their speeches thanking everyone for coming, to enjoy the food and the afternoon with them. Burk gave a best man speech that had people laughing. Alisha gave a speech that brought tears and the Captain also said a few words that really brought home that they were all family and how he like everyone else looked forward to supporting and being there for the couple as they stepped into the next phase of being parents.

After that speech, Kara tossed her bouquet to the crowd of reluctant single ladies. The only one who seemed to want to catch it was Kat but they all knew it was that Tex told her expressly that she wasn't to get married until she was 50. A joke that everyone had a laugh at. Alisha and Val stood as far to the back as possible not wanting to even have the slightest chance of catching it.

Andrea egged Rachel and Larrin on for being chickens. So of course they stood in the crowd for just the sake of it. Even though Larrin secretly did want to catch it. Not just because she liked the idea of marrying one day but winning would be a nice feeling. Either way the bouquet hurdled through the air and just when the audience had it pegged that Larrin would catch it when Cruz came out of no where and spiked the bouquet straight into Andrea's face at which point she caught it out of reflex.

Andrea had not been impressed and a red cheeked Cruz gave a shrug as Wolf high fived him for saving his sister from wedded bliss. After that it was the Garter toss.

Danny slingshot the garter out and it was a mad rush of the single guys who were fairly desperate to own the garter. It wasn't that they were desperate to be the next one to marry. No, a man only wanted to catch the garter for the amusement of winning and showing it off as trophy of their strength and agility in obtaining it. But either way the single men of the Nathan James jumped on the thing. It took about ten minutes for them to untangle their bodies and all trying to figure out who got the garter only to learn that Tex a few feet away holding the garter; shaking his head at them all.

Of course, Tex and Andrea sealed the superstition as she allowed him to put the garter on her leg. It had been interesting to see Andrea go a lovely shade of red as Tex's hands lingered a little longer than they should've under her dress.

After that, people continued in their eating and generally socialising until the cake was cut and then the party started to disperse into smaller groups as the kids had moved away to play sport and run off their excess energy. A dance floor had been set up where people were dancing, while others still milled around chatting and enjoying themselves.

Everyone was having a good time, there were no real mortifying moments or boredom to be had. It was a success and a day Danny would remember for the rest of his life.

"Now, if you'll excuse me I'm going to steal my wife away from Dr Scott." He said.

"Don't you mean your husband?" Burk asked, Danny smiled and flipped him the bird before he walked away leaving the men laughing in his wake.

* * *

"So Red, looking good in your green dress." Tex said as he and Andrea were dancing to a slow song being played over speakers. Kat had disappeared to where all the other kids her age were hanging which fine with him as he knew she was having fun. It also gave him an excuse to be with Andrea who was a knockout in her green wrap around dress. Her hair was in a loose chignon that begged to be undone and have her hair tumble down. But he kept his hands in respectable places on her body. He was a gentleman after all.

"Are all your dreams complete?" Andrea asked mockingly before Tex twirled her and brought her back into his arms.

"Nearly, how much booze have I got to pour into you before you put out?" he asked in a joking manner. He knew this was the closest he was going to get to Andrea's knickers but he was enjoying the smiles and laughter his pathetic flirting was eliciting. Like right now she laughed and smiled shaking her head at him.

"There's not enough alcohol in the world to make me that easy." she informed him with a chuckle. As she really liked how much Tex was making her laugh and smile. It felt like a lifetime since a man had made her geniunely smile not in a mocking manner. But then Tex had the charm and the terrible sense of humour that she was weak for.

"Then I guess all I got is my charm and good looks."

"The beard looks better." Andrea informed him, he looked really good and it wasn't the beer goggles making him appear that way as she couldn't imagine any woman being immune to his looks and charm.

"Yeah, I've been using beard oil to make it all nice and soft just for you." he said with a wink.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so before?" she deadpanned.

"I like you Red." he told her, his expression grew soft and serious in a way that made Andrea's heart skip a beat and butterflies form in her stomach as it was pretty blunt confession.

"I like you too," She replied but she had a feeling it wasn't the same level but it wasn't until that moment she genuinely saw him as a someone who could potentially be more than a friend.

"I know you got a lot pain and grieving to get through but when you're through the other side. I'll be here, waiting." he told her, Andrea felt incredibly touched by his words. His footwork never faltered once as they danced. She looked away for a moment finding it a little too intense before a smile spread across her lips. She looked back at him.

"You going to keep using that beard oil?" she asked him.

"Anything for you, Red." he said with a laugh as he dipped her on the floor with ease and grace before pulling her back into his arms.

* * *

Rachel took a small sip of her scotch savouring the flavour and the burn of the alcohol. She shouldn't really be drinking but one glass of champagne and a finger of scotch was not going to kill her. It would make her drunk if she downed the scotch but right now she slightly tipsy and happy as she sat with Tom at one of the tables around the dancefloor watching the couples dance.

Tom looked debonair in his casual suit. He lost the jacket and had the sleeves of the shirt rolled to his elbows. Two buttons were undone showing that he was casual and unwound. Even though he was still fairly wound up. He too had a glass of scotch looking out the dancefloor as she did.

"They make a beautiful couple." Rachel remarked as Danny danced with Kara. He had no sense of rhythm but Kara didn't care as they danced to their own tune.

"It's just the beginning." Tom murmured from his chair beside her. "You look beautiful by the way." he remarked, not for the first time that day but Rachel smiled none the less and took the compliment.

"Thank you, you clean up well which doesn't surprise me but I was surprised at the lack of Military uniforms." Rachel said as no one had donned there uniforms except Danny and Burk for the ceremony but even they changed the reception.

"Can't drink in uniform and playing football and frisbee isn't a lot of fun in Dress Blues." Tom joked wryly as it was the truth and he had to admit that he liked seeing the crew cut loose with their families. No one was displaying any bad behaviour, his kids were happy playing and socialising with other kids their age at the barbecue reception. His father was off somewhere with Mike probably smoking cigars. Tom knew he shouldn't let his father smoke but he had to remind himself that his father was allowed his indulgences and he was not Tom's to command.

Rachel gave a chuckle trying to imagine Tom catching a frisbee in his dress blues. It was just not working as she imagined the jacket would have to be unbuttoned and her mind figured he'd use his teeth to catch it like a dog did in some TV ad she must have seen somewhere but couldn't remember. Maybe she should have stuck to the one glass of champagne but it was too late now.

"So, I heard you were promoted." Rachel said making conversation.

"Still a Captain, but I am CNO, my post will be here in St Louis." Tom told her, she didn't need to know that he turned down a promotion to Admiral but then it was too far a leap in ranks for him. He didn't feel he deserved it. Hell, he didn't want to give up the Nathan James but he recognised that he needed to choose his family first for once in picking his assignments. He also wanted to be with them, being CNO gave him that luxury.

"Congratulations." Rachel told him sincerely with a smile.

"Thank you, I'm told you're staying in St Louis." he said, he heard Michener was giving her anything she wanted. She apparently drove a hard bargain demanding a lab be built to her specifications, she wanted Larrin given permanent residency in the US and a salary to work with Rachel.

Apparently she and Doc had a training program they wanted to put into effect to train future doctors, basically streamlining the medical degree to get any surviving college medical students into the work force sooner. It would of course be an incredibly gruelling training course to make sure the right people made it through and to pick out those who could benefit from mentor-ships with scientists and doctors to pass on their knowledge.

He was secretly glad she was staying instead of continuing her crusade to save the world running into one dangerous place after another. Not that he'd ever say as much as he valued his friendship with her.

"Yes, I am. I'm done rolling around the world like a tumbleweed. I'm putting down roots and making a home for myself." Rachel said as she took a sip of her scotch. Tom smiled pleased to hear as much as he liked spending time with her. They were friends but there seemed to be an unspoken understanding that it was something that would grow into more when they were in the right time and place. Something that Tom felt himself getting closer to with every passing day.

* * *

"Sorry." Doc said cringing as she had stepped on Wolf's toes not for the first time since he asked her to the floor.

"It's fine. You nervous or just a bad dancer." Wolf asked her, she was in a navy blue kimono dress that ended just above her knees, her hair was pulled back into a messy braid but she had make up on and high heel shoes. Wolf had to admit he preferred her in her usual clothing. Only because she looked more comfortable to him that was sexy. While yes, she was gorgeous, she was also nervous and looking down at their feet.

"I'd say the latter, thank you and a gentleman wouldn't comment." Doc told him.

"I'm not a gentleman. Look at me and let me lead." Wolf told her. Doc took a deep breath and exhaled as she looked up at him. She couldn't help but be nervous. Shaved her legs and put on a dress, something she had never done and in hindsight would never do again as she missed a stretch of hair just behing her knee. She sucked at being feminine.

"Ok," she said as she tried to relax. What she wouldn't give to just drug everyone and sit down and eat some cake then disappear.

"Maybe kick off the heels." he suggested. He loosened his hold on her and Doc quickly pulled off her shoes and tossed them to the edge of the dance floor. Her feet thanked her and she felt some of the tension leave her body as she was no longer trying to balance herself on the toothpicks that were imitating heels. "Better?" he asked.

"Yes." she said as she relaxed in his arms and let him move them. It was definitely going a lot smoother now the heels were gone.

"So, I'm heading to Australia next week. Will you do me a favour and check in with Larrin?" Wolf asked.

"You want me to cockblock her with her adorable boyfriend?" she asked him mockingly.

"Yeah, that would be great." he said with a smile. He didn't really want to know about his sister or Miller's love life. As long as they were happy that was all he wanted to know. So far they were madly in love with one another even though they hadn't uttered the words to one another yet.

"Forget it, I'm going to encourage them to have lots of beautiful redheaded babies." She told him with a mockingly sweet smile.

"Whose side are you on?" he asked her.

"Mine." she replied.

"Eyes up Doc, unless you do want to see the goods cause we can get a hotel room. I'll be your wonderland." he told her in a salacious invitation that had Doc very tempted.

"I don't think my Date would like that." Doc said referring to Cruz who was definitely not taking her home tonight. Wolf however was definitely swaying her to that hotel room.

"Cruz will get over it. Have you told him your name yet?" Wolf asked.

"Nope." she replied.

"You going to tell me?" he asked her, Doc looked at him for a long moment and wondered why she was holding onto that secret. She trusted Wolf and she definitely fantasised about him saying her name, maybe there was no better time than right now.

"Hannah. Hannah St Claire." She said.

"Hannah," Wolf murmured, the name rolling off his lips with ease, his accent making it sound a little like he was asking a question which a little hot as it sounded in her fantasy. Damned if it didn't feel good hearing him say it.

"Yep." Hannah said embracing her name for the first time since learning it again. Wolf smiled liking that she had told him as it showed how far they'd come in their friendship and flirting.

"Well, Hannah what do you say about sharing a beer with me?" he asked her, he knew he could just throw out a come on line but decided to keep their relationship brewing as a friendship until he knew where he was going in his life.

"I'd love that if it means we get off the dance floor and go for the bar." She said with a grin.

"Definitely." Wolf told her as he released his hold on her and turned to hold out his elbow to escort her to the bar.

* * *

"Please just use your fingers." Miller begged as Larrin laughed as she tried vainly to use a fork with her left hand to eat the piece of cake they were sharing. They were seated at one of the many tables set up for the day.

"No, I'm going to get this. 3 weeks of eating with my left hand you'd think I'd be better at this." Larrin said.

"You're going to get icing all over your dress which would be a real shame." Miller said as it was a fine dress. He'd found an apartment in some hipster area. The lease was cheap thanks to there being a low demand for rentals. He paid for a 6 month lease and was moving in next week.

He was actually looking forward to having space that was his own as he'd lived with his Mom, then went to the Navy where he resided in the barracks and deployment meant bunk rooms. So it was going to be good to sleep in a space for just himself. He, of course planned to give Larrin a key and liked how adult it made him feel.

His mother wasn't impressed but understood he was an adult who wanted his own space. She wasn't entirely fond of Larrin but he had a feeling it was just her being a Mom and not wanting him to grow up.

He'd told Tex, the man was a little sad to see him go but definitely understood why Miller wanted his own space. Before he made jokes and gave unsolicited advice about safe sex and taking his time. He and Larrin weren't at that stage yet, which was fine with him. Parts of him weren't happy but he wanted to wait until Larrin was healed and ready to take things to that next step with him. For now he was just happy to be with her and make out with her like they were high school kids.

"What you like? I don't think it's fit you." she said teasingly, Miller chuckled and shook his head.

"No, I would never wear your dress. You'd be jealous of my legs." Miller deadpanned.

"Hey, you and your lucky legs can just rack off." she informed him with a smile, he snorted a laugh as he went running with Wolf and learnt that 'Lucky Legs' was not a compliment as it was an Australian thing that he was lucky that no one snapped his legs off and shoved them up his ass. Something Wolf promised he'd do to Miller if he broke Larrin's heart. He was learning that there were a lot of insulting Australian sayings and slang that were confusing, cringe worthy and really gross. Luckily they weren't used too often.

"Your legs are perfect in whatever you wear." Miller said in a charming manner.

"Awh, I knew I kept you around for a reason." She said in a tongue and cheek manner before she managed to stab a piece of cake with the fork. "Yes" she said with glee but her face fell as the cake crumbled in half. "You're kidding me." she said completely floored.

"Fingers, use them." Miller told her before he ate some with a fork. He tried not to laugh at how crestfallen she looked at being defeated by the cake.

"Fine, so I'm thinking bowling for our next date. I'll have my cast off." Larrin said before she popped a small piece of cake into her mouth and casually licked the icing off her thumb. Miller swallowed as his brain went to very dirty places. She looked at him as if reading his mind which made him wonder if she did it on purpose to rile him up but dismissed it as quickly as he thought it.

"Maybe we could get take away and hang out at my apartment. Just let your wrist have another week off before you start lifting heavy things." Miller suggested to her, Larrin's eyes heated as the thought of them alone in a place with no possible audiences meant they could do anything indecent that crossed their minds.

"Ok, I still want to go bowling. So it can be a future activity." She informed him, he smiled as he loved her. Something he'd come to realise only a few days ago when they'd been in the park together again. She was sleeping next to him as he read his work and he just wanted to keep having moments with her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. That thought hadn't felt like a revelation but more of a fact that he acknowledged which made him feel really happy and content to face whatever was ahead for them.

"Done," he leaned in and then he was kissing her, his mouth warm and firm. Wolf whistles and catcalls erupted to their right and Burk informed them to get a room. They broke the kiss, Larrin flipped them the bird and Miller laughed as life was exceptionally good.

* * *

 _The End_

* * *

 _A/N: I just want to say a big thank you to all the people who have read this story and reviewed. Humongous thank you to the ladies who were my sounding board, listened to my annoying ventings over writer's block and life crap_ _and weird story ideas. You really kept it going with your words of encouragement and inspiration._

 _I hope you enjoyed the story! I definitely did :)_

 _Be well and Thank you!_


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